The FCC’s Media Bureau has created the Electioneering Communications Database. It will be available on the FCC’s Web site at http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/ecd starting Feb. 3. The database helps a user to determine whether a communication sent via a broadcast station, cable system, and/or satellite system can or cannot reach 50,000 or more people in a particular congressional district or state.
If the answer is “yes,” that may qualify as an “electioneering communication,” as defined in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. That requires every person who spends more than $10,000 on an electioneering communication (which does not include an ad purchased by a candidate) during any calendar year to file a statement with the Federal Election Commission.
The information in the Electioneering Communications Database is current as of November 2003 and will remain unchanged through the end of the 2004 election cycle in November 2004.
Users who have questions regarding the database may contact the Federal Communications Commission via e-mail at [email protected].
FCC Creates Election Communications Database
FCC Creates Election Communications Database
