The Federal Communications Commission is investigating ABC’s “The View” for potential violations of the statutory equal opportunities requirement under the Communications Act of 1934, after Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico appeared on the show last month without equal time provided to other candidates, including Republicans such as Sen. John Cornyn and his primary challengers.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the probe, emphasizing enforcement of a rule dating back to the 1950s that requires broadcasters to provide equal time to opposing candidates once one appears on a non news program. Carr said the FCC has not been presented with evidence that interview segments on late night or daytime talk shows like “The View” qualify for the bona fide news exemption. The investigation was triggered by Talarico’s appearance, in which he received roughly nine minutes in a single segment, while Rep. Jasmine Crockett, another Democratic primary rival, previously received about 17 minutes across three segments before the FCC enforcement action was announced.

A source at the FCC told Fox News Digital that ABC and its parent company Disney made no equal time filing, implicitly asserting that “The View” qualifies as bona fide news and is therefore exempt, a claim the agency disputes. Under the equal time rule, the requirement applies to all legally qualified candidates on the ballot. That would obligate ABC to offer comparable airtime to Republican candidates including Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt, as well as lesser known Democratic candidates such as Ahmad Hassan. Broadcasters may satisfy the requirement by providing equivalent exposure through news programming or by offering campaign advertising time.

Carr defended the policy, stating, “On my watch, we’re going to enforce this regulation.” He added that equal time does not require candidates to appear on the same program, noting that comparable airtime through news segments or paid advertisements is sufficient under the law.