GAO Report on Television Station Public Files Underscores Need for Luján's Transparency Act

Press Release

Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Committee Member Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) stressed the need for Congress to pass Luján's Fair and Clear Campaign Transparency Act after a non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finds that some television stations are not including required information on public filings.

The FCC requires broadcast stations to keep a public file containing information about the station's operations and service to its community, including, among other things, sales agreements between television stations and information about political time sold or given away.

The GAO reviewed the public inspection files of every television station in the nation to determine if stations filed their joint sales agreements. The report found that out of the 86 distinct agreements identified, 23 were not available in both stations' files as required by FCC rules. GAO concluded that without the proper filing of these documents, "the transparency over this aspect of the station's operations is lost."

"The GAO's report highlights how little transparency there is in the online public files," said Pallone. "Since some television stations are not filing information that is required by law, I'm concerned that political disclosures are also not being filed. During a year when more than $8 billion could be spent in political advertising, it is critical that television stations' public files are accurate and easy to search."

Luján's Fair and Clear Campaign Transparency Act requires that the FCC maintain stations' public files in a machine-readable format, so that the public can actually sort through and understand the information in these files.

"It is disappointing to learn from this GAO report that information we thought was available -- although only when it is painstakingly reviewed by hand because it's not searchable -- in too many cases is not even accessible to begin with," Luján said. "Since Citizens United opened the door to unlimited money that has flooded the nation's airwaves, it is more important than ever to ensure that the public can evaluate who is trying to influence their vote. This report illustrates the need to pass commonsense legislation that increases transparency by making this information searchable, sortable, and downloadable."

The report was requested by the bipartisan leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2014.

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