I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 84
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require radio and television
broadcasters to provide free broadcasting time for political advertising.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 7, 1997
Ms. SLAUGHTER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require radio
and television broadcasters to provide free broadcasting
time for political advertising.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fairness in Political
Advertising Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. ALLOCATION TO POLITICAL CANDIDATES OF FREE
BROADCAST TIME FOR POLITICAL ADVERTIS-
ING.
(a) CONDITION
OF LICENSE RENEWAL.—Section
309(h) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C.
309(h)) is amended by inserting before the period at the
end thereof the following: ‘‘; and (4) every television
broadcast station license issued under this Act shall be
subject to the free broadcast time obligations imposed by
section 315(c)’’.
(b) FREE TIME OBLIGATIONS.—Section 315 of the
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 315) is amend-
ed—
(1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as
subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the follow-
ing new subsection:
‘‘(c)(1) Each licensee for a television broadcasting
station shall annually make available free broadcast time
for political advertising in accordance with the require-
ments of this subsection. The Commission shall not renew
the license of any licensee who substantially fails or re-
fuses to comply with the requirements of this subsection,
but such licensee shall not be subject to any other sanction
or remedy for such failure or refusal.
‘‘(2) A licensee subject to this subsection shall allot
free broadcast time to each qualified political candidate
in accordance with the following standards:
‘‘(A) Such licensee shall allot an equal amount,
but not less than 2 hours, of free broadcast time
‘‘(5) Nothing in this subsection, and no use of free
broadcast time allotted under this subsection, shall be con-
strued to restrict or otherwise affect the purchase of ad-
vertising time under subsection (b) of this section.’’.
SEC. 3. CABLE BROADCASTING OF POLITICAL ADVERTIS-
ING.
Section 611 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47
U.S.C. 531) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub-
section (g); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the follow-
ing new subsection:
‘‘(f) A cable operator shall annually make available
free cable time for political advertising in accordance with
the requirements of regulations prescribed by the Commis-
sion. Such regulations shall, to the extent practicable, re-
quire each such cable operator to provide such free cable
time in the same amounts and manner, to the same eligi-
ble political candidates, and subject to the same conditions
as free broadcast time is required to be provided by tele-
vision broadcast station licensees under section 315(c) of
the Act. No franchise authority shall renew the franchise
of any cable operator that fails to comply with such regu-
lations, but such operator shall not be subject to any other
sanction or remedy for such failure or refusal.’’.
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