FCC Returns ABC TV Licenses to Original Dates After Mixup

The Federal Communications Commission changed the expiration dates for eight Walt Disney Co.-owned TV stations back to their original timelines after previously saying their licenses expired on Thursday.

Disney said the commission attributed the prior changes to a “technical maneuver” that enabled processing of early renewal applications, according to filings on the commission’s website.

The commission, which oversees US airwaves, last month ordered an early review of the station licenses due to concerns about Disney’s diversity and inclusion programs. The licenses had been set to expire as late as 2031.

“The need for jerry-rigged database workarounds illustrates that the ...