ABC is facing a serious legal backlash after the network declined to broadcast President Donald Trump’s primetime address on its over-the-air stations, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr has warned.

ABC and NBC both chose not to carry the speech on their broadcast networks.

Trump’s remarks focused on election security and alleged vulnerabilities in the 2020 election.

CNN also declined to air the address, but cable networks are not governed by the same FCC licensing requirements as traditional broadcasters.

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“I was asked at the beginning of the week whether I thought broadcasters should air the president’s remarks, and I said, of course they should,” Carr told Fox News Digital.

“And they should do so because they have an obligation at the end of the day to operate in the public interest to serve the needs of their communities.

“And I think making sure that people have access to significant presidential addresses is part and parcel of what all broadcasters should want to do.”

Congressman Calls for FCC Review

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Broadcasters have declined to carry presidential primetime addresses in the past, but Carr indicated that the controversy surrounding Trump’s speech remains unresolved.

“There’s been a lot of interest in Congress. Obviously, we got a letter from Congress asking us to investigate the decisions to do this or not do this, and we’re reviewing the letter itself, at least at this point,” Carr said.

“And there’s been a lot of interest in this, so we’ll see where it goes.”

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) sent a letter to the FCC on Monday asking the agency to examine whether the networks fulfilled their legal obligation to operate in the public interest.

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“Broadcasters may criticize, analyze, or fact-check the President’s statements,” Carter wrote.

“However, refusing to air a major presidential address because executives disagree with its content raises serious concerns that they intended to keep Americans in the dark about potential foreign interference in our elections.”

Although ABC and NBC did not carry the speech on their broadcast networks, both companies made the address available through their digital platforms.

Disney Licenses Already Under Review

Carr also suggested that Disney’s decision could become an issue in ongoing FCC proceedings involving the company.

“I’m sure that there are going to be points raised in that proceeding that relate to Disney’s decision…” Carr told reporters Wednesday.

“Again, we’re going to hold all broadcasters to the public interest obligations, and we’re always looking to make sure they do exactly that.”

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The FCC moved in April to accelerate license renewal reviews for eight Disney-owned ABC stations.

Those stations are now required to demonstrate that they have served the public interest while regulators also review Disney’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

The stations’ licenses had initially been scheduled for renewal between 2028 and 2031 before the agency expedited the process.

Conservative Groups Warn Against Politicized Renewals

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Some conservative organizations have cautioned the FCC against transforming routine broadcast license renewals into political disputes.

Fourteen groups led by the Center for Individual Freedom issued a letter Thursday supporting Carr’s broader deregulatory agenda while warning that unpredictable renewal proceedings could eventually be used against conservative or religious broadcasters.

“Our concern is that establishing precedents of non-routine renewal creates a powerful lever that future FCCs — including ones hostile to conservative, religious, or otherwise disfavored broadcasters — would be all too willing to pull,” the groups wrote.

“The surest protection against that future is to keep the renewal process predictable today.”

The FCC has also launched an investigation into ABC’s daytime program “The View” over allegations that it failed to provide equal treatment to political candidates.

ABC maintains that the program qualifies for the FCC’s long-standing “bona fide” news exemption, which the agency recognized in a 2002 ruling and which exempts qualifying programs from equal-time requirements.

Not every ABC and NBC affiliate followed the networks’ decisions. Stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group broke away from scheduled network programming and aired Trump’s speech.

READ MORE – Trump Launches Crackdown on EU’s Anti-Free Speech Laws