These bonus rates would apply only in commercials where the candidate appears and voices 75 percent of the total commercial spot. H. Issue Advertising . Recent years have seen a sharp expansion of television advertising close to elections that qualifies as issue advocacy, falling outside the legal definition of political advertising but is obviously purchased by groups with names like Citizens for Good Government, that disguise from viewers the sponsor or founder of the message. To preserve the principle of disclosure to the public, stations should require purchasers of issue advertising, who use the name or likeness of a candidate for office within the viewing area of the station, to provide full information about the sponsor and officers of organizations funding the advertising within sixty days of an election, which the station should in turn make public before the election. I. Multi-casting .
Digital television offers opportunities for broadcasters to carry programming on multiple channels.
And while the committee has discussed many alternatives for providing public interest requirements for these additional channel opportunities, it is the subcommittee s recommendation that a station s primary channel must meet all the public interest minimum requirements outlined in this document. The larger committee should have some latitude in developing requirements for these additional channels but in no case should a broadcaster be allowed an opportunity to pay a fee rather than meet these requirements on any channel unless that channel is a designated ancillary channel under FCC rules and a government imposed fee is charged. J. Diversity in Employment . The committee recognizes that Equal Opportunity Rules implemented by the FCC resulted in significant improvements in diversity of employment in the broadcast industry. Realizing the courts have, at this time, invalidated those rules, the committee encourages the FCC to look for other opportunities to establish employment standards that meet the legal criteria and ensure non-discrimination in employment practices.