Dems ask FCC to identify secret sponsors of political ads

The last election cycle saw a tsunami of political TV ads, often aired without any clear indication of who was actually paying for them. In response, three House California Democratic leaders – Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman and Anna Eshoo – have asked the FCC to investigate who’s behind the frequently misleading ads.

FCC regulations demand that TV broadcasters and cable companies identify the “true sponsor,” not just some vague name like Americans for Common Sense.

To back their position, the Democrats cited a recent report from the Government Accountability Office. The January report, Requirements for Identifying Sponsored Programming Should Be Clarified, looked into “the history of the FCC's sponsor-identification rules and recommending that the agency provide clearer guidance to TV stations.

 Democrats turn to FCC to unveil secret donors behind political ads (The Hill, Mar. 2, 2013)

http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/285791-democrats-turn-to-fcc-to-unveil-big-political-donors#ixzz2MfdVziHw

Requirements for Identifying Sponsored Programming Should Be Clarified (GAO, January 2013)

http://www.democraticleader.gov/sites/democraticleader.house.gov/files/gao.pdf