Ex-FCC officials warn agency sending ‘chilling message’ with ABC license review

A group of prominent former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials have filed a warning to the agency, stating that its review of ABC's license renewals for eight local television stations is an effort to send a "chilling message" to broadcasters. This comes in the wake of petitions to deny renewed licenses, filed by conservative media watchdog the Media Research Center and the Center for American Rights.

The review, which is unprecedented in the FCC's history, was prompted by petitions accusing ABC of ignoring Commission precedents, engaging in racial and gender discrimination, and exhibiting liberal bias. The former FCC officials argue that this move is a clear expansion of the Commission's role in content and viewpoint regulation, which is unconstitutional.

The group, which includes Mark S Fowler, a past FCC chair, and Thomas E Wheeler, another past chair, are among the officials criticizing the order. They contend that the early license renewal proceeding is a grave violation of the Communications Act and the Constitution. The Commission's attempt to regulate speech and silence ABC is seen as a significant overreach of its authority.

In a statement, the coalition called on the Commission to respect the constitutional and congressional prohibitions on censorship and terminate this proceeding. Interested parties have until August 5th to reply to petitions to deny ABC's licenses, after which the FCC will decide whether to grant the extension requests or schedule hearings. The timetable for the process remains unclear.