GOP senators ask FCC to relent on political-ad rule

Six senators with strong links to the Tea Party movement want the Federal Communications Commission to nix a proposed rule that would make it easier for the public to know who pays for political ads and how much they cost.

The letter, which was sent Tuesday to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and obtained by The Hill, would require broadcasters to upload documents showing rates offered to political advertisers and records of who bought ads when, and for how much.

Stations are already required to place this information in "public inspection files" that anyone can review in person. But the FCC rule change would require the information to be submitted online.

Broadcasters have been required to make lots of information available to the public for 40 years, and much of it has been online for a long time. But since being added to the public file in 2002, political ad information has been allowed to stay out of the public eye.

The senators, including frequent FCC critic Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Tea Party favorites Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and John Boozman (R-Ark.), call the requirement to post the data online "excessive and unnecessary" when it is already available to anyone making an appointment. Citing "heavy compliance costs," they ask Genachowski to reconsider the proposal.

The FCC had not yet responded to The Hill's request for comment.

---