ABC sued the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C., on August 18, 2026, alleging that the Trump administration is targeting the network’s speech through investigations and licensing pressure. The lawsuit asks a federal court to stop the FCC from forcing ABC’s eight owned stations into early license renewal proceedings. The complaint connects the regulatory pressure to attacks from Donald Trump against ABC and late night host Jimmy Kimmel . ABC argues that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and the agency are acting because officials dislike what the network broadcasts, a claim the FCC had not publicly addressed as of publication. Is the FCC About to Escalate? ABC filed the case as the FCC weighs whether to issue a hearing designation order, which could launch a formal process over the stations’ licenses. Bloomberg reported that the agency may take that step after a public comment proceeding, though any licensing fight would likely move slowly through the regulatory system. According to ABC’s court filing, the early renewal process creates pressure regardless of the outcome: the FCC could drag the matter out for years, deny renewal, or seek to revoke the stations’ licenses. ABC characterized those possibilities as a way to intimidate the network into changing its editorial decisions or silence it entirely. The lawsuit calls any FCC adjudication a potential “charade” and argues that the agency cannot lawfully demand renewal so early in the stations’ license terms. The FCC spokesperson did not immediately respond to Deadline’s request for comment, leaving the next move with the agency and the federal court.