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ABC and Disney sue FCC, alleging First Amendment violations
ABC and Disney’s decision to sue the Federal Communications Commission over what the companies allege is retaliation for the network’s news coverage and programming highlights the importance of protecting the First Amendment, said FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, the agency’s lone Democrat, in an interview with on Wednesday.
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“Disney has found its courage, and it is pushing back,” Gomez told NPR’s Leila Fadel. “And this is good. It’s good for the First Amendment. It’s good for the public, and it’s good for broadcasters in general.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has said the agency is upholding requirements that broadcasters operate in the public interest. In an interview with NPR’s David Folkenflik on Tuesday, Carr also said Disney and ABC were jumping the gun, and that the agency had not yet decided whether to renew the licenses of eight ABC-owned stations.
Gomez rejected Carr’s argument, saying the public interest standard was being used to suggest that content officials dislike is contrary to the public interest.
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She also pushed back on the idea that her criticism of the FCC is partisan, pointing to former Republican FCC chairs and commissioners, as well as Republican senators Ted Cruz and John Kennedy, who she said have also raised concerns about the agency’s actions and its potential effect on First Amendment rights.
“Protecting the First Amendment is not a partisan issue,” Gomez said. “There is bipartisan support for respecting the First Amendment.”
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