Advertising arises in a number of contexts at the FCC. Consumers submit a a variety of complaints about broadcast advertising, the nature of the products advertised, the timing of certain ads, and loud commercials or commercials that they believe are indecent or in poor taste. The FCC also administers rules about junk fax advertising.
Additionally, the FCC administers political programming rules for radio, television, cable television and direct broadcast satellite. These rules address whether equal opportunities for political opponents are warranted, candidate access issues, what candidates can be charged for political advertising, and sponsorship identification. The FCC also operates a database that allows the public to determine whether a communication sent via a broadcast station, cable system and/or satellite system can reach 50,000 or more people in a particular congressional district or state.