The Federal Communications Commission will not revoke ABC's broadcast licenses over this month's debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Despite many conservatives (including Trump) calling for the agency to revoke Disney's streaming licenses to ABC after the debate, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote in a letter that as an agency that upholds the First Amendment, it could not take such action.
“The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy,” Rosenworcel wrote in the letter, addressed to Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). “The Commission does not revoke broadcast licenses simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes the content or coverage.”
“Our role at the agency is to license broadcast stations in accordance with the Constitution and the Communications Act of 1934, as well as the rules and policies we have adopted pursuant to these laws,” Rosenworcel continued. “There are no exceptions.”
Trump and other prominent Republicans complained about ABC’s handling of the debate and the questioning and fact-checking by moderators Linsey Davis and David Muir. In some cases, they embraced conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the network had given Harris questions in advance.
Sen. Markey and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) had asked the FCC to reaffirm that it licenses stations based on the law, not on the network's content.
