Conservative organizations have filed petitions with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deny license renewal requests for eight local ABC television stations. The petitions accuse ABC of political, racial, and sexual bias and of supporting the Chinese Communist Party.

The FCC required ABC to apply for license renewals several years earlier than scheduled. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr stated that this accelerated process resulted from an investigation into ABC's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Carr was appointed by Donald Trump.

The Center for American Rights submitted a petition stating that ABC programs exhibit a "consistent and overt partisan bias." The organization cited complaints concerning late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and the network's moderation of a 2024 presidential debate. "ABC ignores long-standing Commission precedents and principles protecting the integrity of the news," the Center for American Rights wrote. The organization also stated, "ABC engages in explicit racial and gender discrimination. ABC cozies up to the Communist Chinese Party and airbrushes over religious and ethnic cleansing. ABC fails to respect this Commission's rules." The group lobbied the FCC to call the matter for a hearing.

The Media Research Center, a conservative media watchdog, also filed a petition claiming ABC-owned stations utilized public spectrum to suppress news coverage, engage in electioneering, and disseminate misinformation. The Article III Project, a legal group started by conservative activist Mike Davis, filed another petition focusing on ABC parent company Disney's employment practices. William Chamberlain, Senior Counsel for the Article III Project, wrote, "The Commission should deny renewal of ABC's television licenses." He added, "The record demonstrates consistent and serious violations of federal [Equal Employment Opportunity] law. In the alternative, any renewal must include sweeping terms and conditions sufficient to eliminate all discriminatory practices and ensure future compliance."

America First Legal, co-founded by former Trump aide Stephen Miller, also filed a petition claiming ABC stations lacked the character qualifications required to hold broadcast licenses. The FCC is also investigating whether the daytime talk show The View violated equal time provisions regarding political candidates following an appearance by Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.

The FCC has set a July 29 deadline for opposition to the petitions and an August 5 deadline for replies. During a June 25 meeting, Carr stated there was no clear timeline for the review process. "If it's short, great. If it's long, great," Carr said. "But we got to apply the Communications Act and the provisions."