ABC fights back against FCC regulators in dispute over 'The View' and
equal time rules
[July 08, 2026]
By JOCELYN NOVECK
ABC is continuing to fight back forcefully against efforts by federal
regulators to reopen the question of whether its popular talk show “The
View” is subject to equal time rules.
The network, which has accused the Trump administration of trying to
chill free speech in the escalating dispute, argued in a new filing to
the Federal Communications Commission, made public Tuesday, that the
issue had been resolved by the commission itself more than two decades
ago.
The latest ABC filing was required as part of the FCC review process. It
consisted of “reply comments” to the commission in support of the
network's petition for a declaratory ruling that “The View” — the
long-running morning show that combines entertainment and political
interviews and often features commentary critical of President Donald
Trump — is a bona fide news program.
ABC cited a 2002 FCC decision qualifying “The View” as such, which would
mean it's exempt from equal time rules. Those rules require granting
equal airtime to competing candidates for office.
In a May filing, ABC similarly accused the Trump administration of
trying to chill its constitutionally protected free speech and hinder
open political discussion by reopening the question about “The View.”
The dispute over ‘The View’ has broader implications
It was the latest volley in a broader dispute inside and outside the
legal arena between the U.S. media and the Trump White House over what
journalists perceive as the president’s attack on free speech and the
media’s ability to do its job. Trump has been critical of media outlets
whose journalism runs counter to his agenda.
His FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, has indicated he intends to argue that
“The View” is not a so-called bona fide news program. The issue could
affect other shows that similarly combine entertainment and politics.
After the May filing, the FCC opened a public comment period on the
issue, as part of the review process. ABC pointed out in its filing
Tuesday that more than 77,000 comments have been submitted by the
public, with “an undeniable majority” of the messages supporting “The
View” and free speech.
“The commenters are right to be concerned,” the new filing argued. “The
First Amendment does not permit the government to sit in an editor’s
chair. Yet that is the seat the Commission now proposes to take ...
deciding which broadcast programs qualify as legitimate news and, for
those it finds wanting, compelling them to surrender their airtime to
guests they never chose to feature.”
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Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr testifies
before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on
Communications and Technology oversight hearing of the Federal
Communications Commission on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 14,
2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
It said the dispute over “The View” touches on a march larger principle:
“whether a federal regulator may override a broadcaster’s editorial
judgment about whom to interview — a judgment the Constitution commits
to broadcasters and their audiences, not to the state.”
ABC also argued that “nothing about ‘The View’ that the law cares about
has changed since the Commission last answered that question more than
two decades ago. ... What has changed is not the program but the
political climate around it.”
It contended that Carr's FCC had chosen to focus its attention on
daytime and late-night shows “perceived as unfriendly to the current
administration — while leaving untouched the vast landscape of talk
radio, where candidates routinely appear without their opponents.”
That, it said, “is not evenhanded regulation.”
FCC suggests ABC is misleading its public
An FCC spokesperson responded, in an email to The Associated Press, with
a suggestion that ABC was misleading its public.
“While ABC insists that ‘The View’ is a ‘bona fide news program’ under
the law,” the spokesperson said, "ABC should focus on complying with its
public interest obligations, rather than misleading the public about
them.”
The administration’s criticism of “The View” echoes its displeasure with
late-night news hosts who criticize Trump — especially ABC’s Jimmy
Kimmel. Donald and Melania Trump recently both called for ABC to fire
Kimmel for a joke in which the comic described the first lady as having
“the glow of an expectant widow.” Kimmel said the joke was a light roast
about the couple’s age difference.
___
Jocelyn Noveck covers the intersection of media and entertainment for
The Associated Press.
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