ABC has pushed back aggressively against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for putting the network under an expedited license renewal process for eight local television stations it owns, charging in a lengthy filing that the process is payback for the network’s editorial decision-making and coverage of Donald Trump. “The tools vary; the objective does not: a media industry too fearful of official reprisal to report the news freely.” ABC’s lawyers pointed out how unusual it is for the FCC to demand that a group of network-owned stations apply several years early to renew their licenses. “Because this whole proceeding rests on an unconstitutional premise, the stations should never have been asked to justify license renewal years early.” Thousands of commenters have filed on behalf of ABC in both the license renewal inquiry and another FCC investigation into the daytime talkshow The View for a potential violation of rules guarding political candidate appearances.