ABC Sues FCC Over License Review, Citing First Amendment Pressure

ABC has filed a rare lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission, challenging the agency's decision to review the network's broadcast licenses as an unconstitutional form of government pressure. The network and its parent company, Disney, argue that the review is a tool to punish or intimidate the media, infringing on First Amendment rights. By taking the Washington-based regulator to court, ABC seeks to block the FCC from using license renewals as a means of coercion. The case marks an unusual escalation in the relationship between a major U.S. television network and the federal agency that oversees broadcasting.