FCC tees up rule changes for contest rules, radio’s political file

Radio stations and Pay-TV services could have to start posting their political files on the FCC’s website as TV stations now do under a proposed rulemaking circulating the FCC courtesy Chairman Tom Wheeler.

Election transparency advocates petitioned the FCC earlier this year to expand the online political file rule to cable and satellite companies, while Wheeler proposed adding radio stations to the expanded rule.

TAB and other state broadcast associations have urged the FCC to consider carefully whether the agency’s online record filing technology infrastructure is sufficiently robust to efficiently support the addition of thousands of file postings before doing so.

On tap for the commission’s Nov. 21 open meeting is a potential review of the FCC’s contest rules. Entercom filed a petition for rulemaking several years ago, suggesting stations should be allowed to refer listeners to their websites for the rules, instead of having to read “material rules” on the air frequently enough that a listener is likely to have heard them.

Questions?  Contact TAB's Oscar Rodriguez or call (512) 322-9944.