WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commissions’ controversial decision to order an early review of broadcast stations licenses owned by Disney’s ABC broadcast network has now attracted more than 150,000 comments, with more than 100,000 being received in the last 30 days.
At 1 p.m. ET, July 29, 151,523 comments had been received, with 100,801 received in the 30 days before July 29.
That made proceeding number 26-131 by far the most active docket in the FCC’s electronic filing system during the last 30 days.
The second most active proceeding in the last 30 days was the FCC's probe into whether ABC’s “The View” talk show counted as a Bona Fide News Interview Program and thus is exempt from equal time rules. This proceeding, 26-124, has attracted 78,720 comments with 19,053 received in the last 30 days.
By way of contrast, the third most active docket in the last 30 days had only 385 comments.
A large number of comments in the license renewal proceeding were in favor of renewing the licenses, as were the comments relating to “The View.”
The unusually high volume of comments, something not seen since the 21.7 million comments filed with the FCC during the controversy over net neutrality, was largely triggered by ABC's decision to air ads on "The View" urging viewers to defend the program and the stations.
Filings by the NAB, the NRB and other broadcasters have generally been in favor of the ABC station renewals and opposed to the early renewal process. A number of former high-level FCC officials have also attacked the FCC's order triggering an early renewal investigation.
While a host of progressive groups have weighed in on the issue by attacking the FCC for attempting to censor content critical of the Trump administration, some conservative groups have also been critical.
Recently, Fox News reported that “Center for Individual Freedom, Citizens Against Government Waste and Americans for Tax Reform, penned a letter to [FCC Chair] Carr…urging the chairman to avoid setting a precedent that could hurt non-liberal organizations in the future.”
"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 letter said according to Fox News.
