WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of Senate Democrats sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr on Thursday asking him to rescind an FCC order requiring ABC to file early renewal applications for its television licenses. The eight ABC-owned station licenses were not originally scheduled for renewal until 2028 at the earliest and 2031 at the latest.

The FCC order requires ABC to file renewal requests for the eight station licenses by the end of May. Carr said the early license renewal request stemmed from an ongoing investigation into the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of Disney. The announcement of the early renewal requirement came one day after the president and first lady called on ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a joke he made.

The letter, signed by Senators Edward J. Markey, Chuck Schumer, Maria Cantwell and Ben Ray Luján, stated: "The early renewal demand is an extraordinary abuse of power and an unconstitutional abuse of the Commission's powers." It also stated: "The campaign against Disney and its editorial decision-making, culminating in last week's early-renewal order, is an egregious abuse of power and a clear violation of the First Amendment."

The letter further stated: "Although the FCC has the authority to ensure broadcasters operate in the public interest, it cannot serve as President Trump's roving censor, threatening to revoke licenses against broadcasters whose editorial content – including a comedian's jokes – displeases the President." It added: "The FCC's licensing authority is being used as a cudgel against broadcasters whose editorial choices displease the President."

The letter asks Carr to describe, by 21 May, the timing and process used by the FCC to determine that ABC must apply early for license renewal. It also asks whether FCC lawyers reviewed the order, whether Carr or his staff communicated with the White House before issuing the order, and whether the agency considered any less aggressive steps before issuing it.

The FCC has two other open investigations into ABC: one based on a 2024 complaint about its moderation of a presidential debate, and another into whether The View violated equal time rules by hosting James Talarico, a Senate candidate. Carr addressed the early renewal order at an FCC meeting last week, stating: "This was a decision that we made inside this building based on where we were in the enforcement matter. There was no pressure from the outside."