FCC: Political Broadcasting Regulations

Statutes and Rules on Political Advertising

Click on the links below to read the statutes in their entirety.

Communications Act of 1934, as amended (47 USC § __ )

Part I - General Provisions

§312 Administrative sanctions

§315 Candidates for public office

§335 Direct Broadcast Satellite service obligations

§399 Support of political candidates prohibited (non-commercial broadcast stations)

§399B Offering of certain services, facilities, or products by public broadcasting stations (political advertising or non-commercial broadcast stations)

Federal Communications Commission Rules (47 CFR § __ )

For Broadcast Stations

§73.1212 Sponsorship identification

§73.1940 Legally qualified candidates for public office

§73.1941 Equal Opportunities

§73.1942 Candidate rates

§73.1943 Political file

§73.1944 Reasonable access

For Cable Television Systems

§76.205 Original cablecasts by legally qualified candidates for public office; equal opportunities

§76.206 Candidate rates

§76.1615 Sponsorship identification

§76.1701 Political file

For Direct Broadcast Satellite Service

Click here to read the Campaign Legal Center's summary of the DBS order.

§25.701 Public interest obligations (entirety)

§25.701 (b)(1) Legally qualified candidates

§25.701 (b)(2) DBS origination programming

§25.701 (b)(3) Reasonable access

§25.701 (b)(4) Use of facilities; equal opportunities

§25.701 (c)(1-3) Candidate rates

§25.701 (d)(1-3) Political file