NEWSReport No. MM-852                   MASS MEDIA ACTION   October 3, 1994


FCC ISSUES DECLARATORY RULING ON FEDERAL CANDIDATE ADVERTISEMENTS

     The Federal Comunications Commission has issued a ruling concerning the rights of
federal candidates to air campaign commercials.  The Commission ruled that it is reasonable to
require broadcasters to provide federal candidates access to odd program lengths, such as five
minutes, to the same degree such lengths have either been made available to commercial
advertisers or programmed in the year preceding a particular election period. 

     The ruling is in response to a request by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
to clarify Commission policies under the "reasonable access" provision of the Communications
Act.  The reasonable access provision obligates broadcasters to provide legally qualified federal
candidates with either paid or free access to reasonable amounts of both spot and program length
time.  NAB's request acknowledged the obligation to provide access to the normal spot lengths,
such as 30- and 60-seconds, and normal program time, such as thirty minutes, but sought
clarification of whether odd program lengths, such as five minutes, must also be made available. 

     The Commission's policies in implementing the reasonable access provision have
consistently been that access must be furnished to federal candidates in a manner consistent with
a broadcaster's treatment of commercial advertisers.  Therefore, the Commission said, it is
reasonable to apply this policy to federal candidates' requests to air odd length campaign
programming.

     Action by the Commission August 31, 1994, by Memorandum Opinion and Order (FCC
94-225).  Chairman Hundt, Commissioners Quello, Barrett, Ness and Chong. 

                                  - FCC -

     News Media contact: Rosemary Kimball at (202) 418-0500.
     Mass Media Bureau contact: Bobby Baker at (202) 632-7586.