Law Newz: Illegal Campaign Finance Shenanigans Alleged During Handel-Ossoff Race in Georgia
Two public interest watchdogs have filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) alleging TV stations in the Atlanta area failed to comply with campaign finance laws during the recent special election in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District.
Spread across six formal complaints, Issue One and the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) accuse WPCH-TV and WSB-TV of ignoring their legal responsibilities under the Communications Act and FCC regulations. The two stations are accused of failing to force three Democratic Party and GOP-linked entities to fully and accurately fill out mandatory disclosure documents known as National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) agreement forms.
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In the press release issued to highlight the six complaints, CLC’s Brendan Fischer said:
“Stations that air political ads have an obligation to ensure that viewers have relevant information about who is attempting to influence their vote. The FCC must take action to protect the public’s right to basic information about the political ads that flooded Georgia’s airwaves during this year’s special elections.”