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
each even-numbered year to each qualified political
candidate in a statewide or national election. In the
case of a television station whose market does not
encompass all of a congressional district, such li-
censee may apportion to each qualified candidate
from such district a fraction of such 2 hours that is
equal to the fraction of such district’s population
that resides within such market, as determined in
accordance with regulations prescribed by the Com-
mission.
‘‘(B) The free broadcast time allotted to any
candidate under subparagraph (A) shall be com-
posed of units of varying lengths of not more than
5 minutes nor less than 10 seconds, as determined
by negotiation between such organization and the li-
censee.
‘‘(C) The broadcast time allotted by any li-
censee shall be allotted so that—
‘‘(i) at least one-half is broadcast during
the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.;
‘‘(ii) during any election year, at least two-
thirds is broadcast during the 2 months imme-
diately preceding election day and at least one-
half is broadcast during the 3 weeks imme-
diately preceding election day;
‘‘(iii) each qualified candidate is allotted
free broadcast time that is comparable, by time
of day and day of week, to the time allotted to
other qualified candidates for the same office;
and
‘‘(iv) no broadcaster shall allot more than
41⁄2 hours per week of free broadcast time for
political advertising and, if the amount of time
required to or allotted by this paragraph would
exceed 41⁄2 hours, the time required to be allot-
ted each qualified candidate shall be reduced
proportionately.
‘‘(D) The broadcast time shall be used solely
for programming consisting of unedited segments in
which the candidate speaks directly to the camera.
‘‘(3) A candidate shall be treated as a qualified politi-
cal candidate for purposes of paragraph (2)(A) if the can-
didate’s party, in the most recent statewide or national
election, received more than 2 percent of the total number
of votes.
‘‘(4) A licensee allots free broadcast time as required
by this subsection by broadcasting statements without re-
muneration or compensation in any form, whether by pub-
lic or private funds, tax deduction or credit, or otherwise.
‘‘(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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