Political Programming

Background

The FCC’s Political Programming staff is responsible for overseeing implementation of Federal statutes and for administering rules and regulations relating to political programming and campaign advertising on radio and television broadcast stations, cable television systems, satellite TV (also referred to as “Direct Broadcast Satellite” or “DBS”) providers, and satellite radio (also referred to as “Satellite Digital Audio Radio Services” or “SDARS”) licensees. The Political Programming staff carries out its responsibilities in the Media Bureau’s Policy Division.

Fact Sheet: FCC Political Programming Rules

Areas of Authority

The FCC’s political programming and campaign advertising rules generally govern the circumstances under which broadcast stations and other regulatees air political-related advertisements. The FCC’s Political Programming staff resolves issues relating to, among other things:

“Reasonable access” by legally qualified candidates for federal office
“Equal opportunities” (frequently referred to as “equal time”) for legally qualified federal, state, and local candidates
The prohibition on censorship of candidate-sponsored ads
“Lowest Unit Charges” and “Comparable Rates” that broadcast stations and cable systems may charge legally qualified candidates for their advertisements
On-air sponsorship identification for political advertisements
Online political files that broadcast stations and other regulatees must maintain for public inspection

The FCC generally does not:

Review or pre-approve the content of political ads before they are broadcast
Ensure the accuracy of statements that are made by candidates and issue advertisers
Require broadcast stations and other regulatees to provide all sides of controversial issues
Oversee the nature and extent of the coverage that individual candidates receive in news programs

Political Inspection Files

Broadcast stations, cable system operators, DBS providers, and SDARS licensees are required to maintain public inspection files, of which political files are a part. Political files contain, among other things:

Information about requests for the purchase of broadcast time by or on behalf of legally qualified candidates
Information about requests for the purchase of broadcast time by issue advertisers whose ads communicate a message relating to any political matter of national importance
Information about free time given to legally qualified candidates for public office

Political files are available for public inspection in an online database hosted by the FCC. The public may access the political files of any broadcast station, cable system operator, DBS provider or SDARS licensee at: https://publicfiles.fcc.gov

Electioneering Communications Database

Pursuant to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, the FCC is required to maintain an Electioneering Communications Database to allow the public to determine whether a communication sent via a broadcast station, network, cable system and/or satellite system can or cannot reach 50,000 or more people in a particular Congressional District or State. The Electioneering Communications Database may be found at: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecd

Federal Statutes and Administrative Rules Governing Political Programming

Federal statutes relating to the FCC and political programming may be found in Title 47 of the United States Code. The FCC’s administrative rules and regulations governing political programming may be found in Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations. For your convenience, you may access these statutes and rules at: https://www.fcc.gov/media/policy/statutes-and-rules-candidate-appearances-advertising

Contact Information

If you have questions concerning the FCC’s political programming and recordkeeping rules, you may contact the Political Programming staff at (202) 418-1440 or campaignlaw@fcc.gov

If you have questions concerning political-related robocalls or unwanted political-related text messages that you are receiving on your landline or mobile phone, please visit the FCC’s Consumer Complaint Center at: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) also shares some authority in regulating political advertising. For further information about the FEC’s regulatory authority in this area, you may visit its website located at: https://www.fec.gov