Fair and Clear Campaign Transparency Act

Summary: Fair and Clear Campaign Transparency Act This bill directs the Federal Communications Commission to require online public inspection files that must be uploaded to the Internet by television broadcast stations, AM or FM radio broadcast stations, cable operators, direct broadcast satellite service providers, or satellite digital audio radio service providers to be made available to the public in a machine-readable format that supports automated searching, bulk downloading, aggregation, manipulation, and sorting. Public inspection files include political files that contain records of requests to purchase broadcast time by or on behalf of candidates for public office or to communicate a message relating to a political matter of national importance.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fair and Clear Campaign Transparency 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) On May 9, 2013, President Barack Obama issued an 
        Executive order that made open and machine-readable data the 
        new default for Government information.
            (2) Open data principles are essential for transparency and 
        efficiency in government.
            (3) In 2012, the Federal Communications Commission required 
        television stations to place on the Internet website of the 
        Commission certain materials in the files such stations are 
        required to maintain and make available for public inspection, 
        including important information about the purchasing of 
        political advertisements.
            (4) The Commission declined to require such materials to be 
        machine-readable, deciding at the time that it was more 
        important to get the information online faster.
            (5) Machine readability is a critical component of open 
        government and provides interested parties with the necessary 
        access to evaluate data in a more comprehensive way.

SEC. 3. MATERIAL IN ONLINE PUBLIC INSPECTION FILE REQUIRED TO BE IN 
              MACHINE-READABLE FORMAT.

    (a) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall promulgate regulations that 
require a covered entity, to the extent such entity is required to make 
material in the public inspection file of such entity available on, or 
upload such material to, an Internet website, to make such material 
available or upload such material in a format that is machine-readable.
    (b) Applicability.--The regulations promulgated under subsection 
(a) shall apply--
            (1) to a covered entity for which an online public 
        inspection file requirement is in effect on the date of the 
        promulgation of such regulations--
                    (A) with respect to the political file portion of 
                the public inspection file, beginning not later than 
                the date that is 60 days after the date of such 
                promulgation; and
                    (B) with respect to the other portions of the 
                public inspection file, at the same time as such 
                regulations apply under subparagraph (A) with respect 
                to the political file portion of the public inspection 
                file or as soon thereafter as the Commission considers 
                practicable; and
            (2) to a covered entity for which an online public 
        inspection file requirement becomes effective after the date of 
        the promulgation of such regulations--
                    (A) with respect to the political file portion of 
                the public inspection file, beginning on the later of--
                            (i) the date of applicability of such 
                        regulations under paragraph (1)(A); or
                            (ii) the date on which the online public 
                        inspection file requirement becomes effective 
                        for such entity; and
                    (B) with respect to the other portions of the 
                public inspection file, at the same time as such 
                regulations apply under subparagraph (A) with respect 
                to the political file portion of the public inspection 
                file or as soon thereafter as the Commission considers 
                practicable.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission.
            (2) Covered entity.--The term ``covered entity'' means a 
        television broadcast station, AM or FM radio broadcast station, 
        cable operator, direct broadcast satellite service provider, or 
        satellite digital audio radio service provider.
            (3) Machine-readable.--The term ``machine-readable'' means, 
        with respect to the format of material in a public inspection 
        file, that such format supports the automated searching for 
        particular text within and among documents, the bulk 
        downloading of data contained in such material, the 
        aggregation, manipulation, sorting, and analysis of the data 
        contained in such material, and such other functionality as the 
        Commission considers appropriate.
            (4) Online public inspection file requirement.--The term 
        ``online public inspection file requirement'' means a 
        requirement for a covered entity to make material in the public 
        inspection file of such entity available on, or upload such 
        material to, an Internet website.
            (5) Political file.--The term ``political file'' means, 
        with respect to a covered entity, the file that such entity is 
        required to maintain and make available for public inspection 
        under section 315(e) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
        U.S.C. 315(e)) or under any similar requirement applicable to 
        such entity that is administered by the Commission.
            (6) Public inspection file.--The term ``public inspection 
        file'', with respect to a covered entity--
                    (A) means the file or files that such entity is 
                required to maintain and make available for public 
                inspection under section 25.701, 73.3526, 73.3527, or 
                76.1700 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
                any successor regulation), as applicable to such 
                entity, or under any similar requirement applicable to 
                such entity that is administered by the Commission; and
                    (B) includes any political file that such entity is 
                required to maintain and make available for public 
                inspection.