Originally published on July 27, 2026 by the San Mateo Daily Journal and written by Holly Rusch.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, is leading an effort to push back against the Federal Communication Commission’s early license review for local television station and ABC TV affiliate KGO, a move he said is an attack on the free press. 

The FCC made the move to accelerate the renewal process for eight local ABC stations after Jimmy Kimmel, an ABC late night host, joked about President Trump’s wife Melania Trump on-air and spurred condemnation from the White House. Trump has also, at various points, called for ABC’s broadcasting license to be revoked. 

Mullin, alongside other local lawmakers, signed a letter to the FCC secretary in support of KGO, which has covered the Bay Area for more than 75 years. FCC Chair Brendan Carr is using the licensing process to advance Trump’s political agenda and silence his critics, Mullin said. 

“They’re abusing the regulatory authority of the FCC and really undermining free speech and the Constitution with how they’re going about this,” he said. “It’s a call to action for the public that they get involved, that they become aware of this issue, that this is an attack. This is an attack on our democracy that is playing out on the local level in these eight markets.” 

A memo from David Brown, FCC video division chief, said that calling the licenses in for early renewal was a part of an investigation into whether Disney’s ABC had been following the agency’s rules on unlawful discrimination. 

“Doing so both allows the FCC to conduct its ongoing investigation and enables the FCC to ensure that the broadcaster has been meeting its public interest obligations more broadly,” the memo stated. 

he FCC investigation is merely a cover-up for an attack on democracy, Mullin said. 

“They are citing some of the DEI policies of KGO and these stations, but I really think that’s a smokescreen,” he said. “I think this is really about Trump’s critics.” 

On its website, KGO has urged viewers to ask the FCC to keep the station on-air, linking a comment form to the agency. 

“No one supports your community like Channel 7. But the FCC questions that commitment,” its website reads. “Show your support for KGO-TV.” 

Mullin acknowledged that while he and other Democratic lawmakers will continue to fight to keep the FCC operating in the public interest, the task will be easier should Democrats control the House after the November midterms. 

“We need an FCC that is not politicized, that is operating in the public interest, that isn’t trying to carry out a political philosophy, but going about ensuring that the public interest is primary in their considerations with regards to licensing,” he said.

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