Federal regulators on Tuesday ordered a review of all station licenses owned by ABC, an extraordinary move to pressure a major television network whose programming has frequently angered President Trump.
The agency overseeing the review, the Federal Communications Commission, said in a filing that the review was related to an investigation into ABC’s diversity and inclusion policies. But it came in the middle of a fight this week between Mr. Trump and the network’s late night host, Jimmy Kimmel, that prompted the president to demand that ABC fire Mr. Kimmel.
The F.C.C. action represented an escalation by the Trump administration and the president to punish major media outlets for their coverage. Mr. Trump has personally sued several news organizations, including The New York Times, and the Pentagon has tried to sharply restrict news media access.
Mr. Trump’s F.C.C. chairman, Brendan Carr, has repeatedly threatened to take action against broadcasters, including to take away their valuable station licenses. His agency’s action on Tuesday was the first direct step toward potentially doing so.
It is extremely difficult for the government to take away stations’ rights to broadcast; it must be able to make a convincing case that the stations had shown a pattern of violating rules and regulations. Even if the F.C.C. ultimately decides to block the renewal of ABC’s station licenses, the network would have ample recourse in the courts. And it would be able to continue to broadcast as the fight played out.
The federal government has never before ordered such a sweeping review of a major television network’s licenses, which allow the companies to broadcast in local markets. All told, ABC owns eight of the more than 200 local stations that carry its programming across the country, in vital markets including New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
Still, the move all but guarantees months if not years of legal wrangling that would lock the network in an expensive, running war with the federal government.
ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But media lawyers and free speech advocates have decried the action, and vowed to fight it in court.
“This is about as extreme an action as I’ve ever seen the F.C.C. take against a broadcaster for frivolous reasons,” said Gigi Sohn, a senior staff member at the agency during the Obama administration. “It’s a message to every other network, ‘Watch yourself, you might be next.’”
Under normal F.C.C. protocol, ABC would not have to apply to renew any of its station licenses — which run on eight-year terms — until 2028, as Mr. Trump would be coming to the end of his term.
But a little-used provision of the law allows the F.C.C. to force stations to apply for renewal of their licenses at any time, opening the door to an early refusal to renew.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Cecilia Kang contributed reporting.
