ABC accuses FCC of trying to ‘license viewpoints’ in latest filing

ABC has asked a court to deny the Federal Communications Commission’s effort to dismiss a lawsuit over actions that the network says violate the First Amendment.

The FCC in April ordered the Disney-owned ABC to file license renewals ahead of schedule, saying it was investigating "possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules, including the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination."

Disney and ABC sued the FCC over the matter in August, characterizing the probe as a pretext for targeting speech the Trump administration dislikes in what it described as an unconstitutional “retaliatory campaign.”

The FCC asked the court to dismiss the case in early September, arguing that the matter was outside of the district court’s jurisdiction and that ABC had not demonstrated the commission’s actions violate the First Amendment. The network, according to the commission, had “shown – at most – minimal and self-inflicted effects on speech.”

ABC’s Sept. 17 filing asked the court not to grant the FCC’s request but instead to grant its own earlier request for the court to ban the FCC from taking further action related to the early license renewal proceedings while litigation continues.

The filing said the FCC hadn’t disproven…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/