Wheeler Tells Nelson Focus Is on Expanding Online Filing of Political Ad Sponsorship ID

Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla., didn’t get the reassurances he requested that the FCC “immediately launch a long-overdue rulemaking to update its sponsorship identification requirements,” a desire also inherent in legislation that Nelson had introduced to compel the FCC to overhaul Communications Act Section 317 rules involving those issues, but still was told more sunshine is on the way. “Currently, the Commission is concentrating its resources on a proceeding to expand the online file requirements to cable operators, satellite TV providers, broadcast radio licensees, and satellite radio licensees,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told Nelson in a June 16 letter released last week. “The expanded rules, if adopted, will bring sunlight to political advertising, ensuring that the public has access to the political files of all broadcasters and [multichannel video programming distributors], not just television broadcasters. In the meantime, the Commission will track all proposed legislation related to this issue, including the bill you introduced last month, S. 1260, the Sunshine in Sponsorship ID Act.”