Dems Press FCC to Expand Political File Requirement to MVPDs

Three Democratic members of Congress, including the ranking members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee and Communications Subcommittee, have asked the FCC to expand its online political filing mandate to cable and satellite operators and radio stations, saying they strongly support the move.

Currently, only TV stations are required to post their political files online to an FCC database, but the FCC has asked whether that requirement should be extended, seeking input on a petition to that effect filed by the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause and the Sunlight Foundation.

Political files are records of political advertising purchases made by the station and who made them, though Sunlight and the other petitioners argue the FCC also needs to tighten disclosure requirements on who is actually funding the ads.

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John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.