A trio of members of the House of Representatives isn’t waiting until the FCC acts – prior to an FCC vote on whether to require that information on political advertising buys placed with television stations be put online, they fired off a letter to the FCC chairman questioning the proposal.
According to Hillicon Valley, the reps include Cliff Stearns (R-FL), Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Their remarks went to Julius Genachowski.
According to the Hillicon Valley report, their questions echoed those of Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell, and are also parallel to arguments the broadcast community has been making for months.
Among the legislators’ concerns:
* The FCC hasn’t adequately considered the costs the requirement would force onto broadcasters
* The information is already available at each station for anybody who wishes to see it
* The requirement puts broadcasters at a competitive disadvantage with other media that sell political advertising
* The need for the posting isn’t clearly articulated
