Reconsidering the FCC’s Political File Rule

[Commentary] The question isn’t why broadcasters don’t want to provide their political files online (they are willing to do this), but why defenders of the Federal Communications Commission rule insist on requiring the online display of stations’ ad rates? After all, one of the main goals of the campaign finance laws is to provide, in a timely way, information about candidate and issue expenditures. It’s not the goal of these laws to compel TV stations to divulge their competitive secrets about ad rates and the like.

[Patrick Maines is president of The Media Institute, a nonprofit organization that promotes free speech, sound communications policies and journalistic excellence.]