FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez predicts ABC will likely win its First Amendment lawsuit against the agency, praising Disney for pushing back against what she describes as regulatory pressure aimed at reshaping the network’s news, comedy, and programming.
According to Axios, the lone Democratic commissioner at the FCC made the comments Tuesday at Axios’ Media Trends Live event in New York City. ABC and its parent company, Disney, sued the FCC in August, arguing that the agency’s unprecedented early review of licenses for eight ABC-owned stations amounts to retaliation for editorial decisions the administration dislikes.
“I can tell you that I’m very glad Disney found its courage because I’ve said this time and time again: Capitulation breeds capitulation, but courage inspires courage,” Gomez told Axios. “And Disney speaking up for the First Amendment and for its free speech rights, for its editorial decisions, is very important. They clearly saw that it was in their interest, and they are committed.”
Gomez framed Disney’s lawsuit as part of a larger pattern with stakes for democratic institutions. When organizations such as the New York Times, Harvard, and law firms push back against the Trump administration, she said, “the Constitution wins, and our democracy wins.” By contrast, “When corporations bend the knee, it just frays our democracy, and it’s so important that we stand up for our rights, and that is what Disney is doing.”
Gomez, appointed by President Biden, has repeatedly criticized the FCC under Carr for what she calls a campaign of censorship and control using the threat of license actions against broadcasters whose content the administration dislikes. The agency has maintained that the early reviews relate to investigations into whether Disney’s diversity policies violated public-interest or equal-employment rules, a justification ABC rejects as pretextual. The lawsuit seeks to halt the proceedings, which the network has called an existential threat to its free-speech rights.