Donald Trump’s call to revoke ABC licence over September 10 debate rejected

The chair of the Federal Communications Commission rejected former US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Walt Disney-owned ABC should lose its broadcast licences over the network’s moderating September 10 presidential debate.

“The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. The Commission does not revoke licences for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage”, FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said on Thursday.

The FCC, an independent federal agency, does not licence broadcast networks, but issues them to individual broadcast stations that are renewed on a staggered basis for eight-year periods.