Interest group sues administration over 'distracting' billboards

An interest group is suing to overturn a ruling that allows brightly illuminated billboards on the side of federal highways.

Scenic America filed the lawsuit against the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), hoping to overturn a 2007 ruling by the agency that reversed the agency’s ban on “intermittently changing” billboards.

“We receive distress calls from people all over the country who find these TVs-on-a-stick lining our highways to be distracting eyesores, and in some instances the signs even shine into the windows of nearby homes," said Mary Tracy, the president of Scenic America, in a statement.

Tracy said the standards “were meant to protect all citizens from the trespassing glow of digital billboards flashing commercial advertisements along high-speed roadways. Because the agency has ignored the [Highway Beautification Act] ... we are asking the court to tell FHWA to follow the law." 

Federal law states that illuminated commercial billboards that flash or change images intermittently are illegal, exempting those that provide public service information including time, date and weather information. The guidance released in 2007 allows billboards to contain images that change every 4 seconds to 10 seconds, according to the FHWA.

Although the agency’s ruling is lenient, it says it does not restrict states from imposing stricter guidelines for digital commercial billboards.

Scenic America is a nonprofit designed for “preserving and enhancing the visual character of America's communities and countryside,” according to its website.

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