Broadcasters File With Court to Halt Online Political File Rule

In a last ditch effort to stop the Federal Communications Commission from implementing the rule requiring TV stations to move their political files, the National Association of Broadcasters today filed an emergency motion with a federal appeals court.

The petition for a stay was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia just 22 days before the rule goes into effect on Aug. 2. In May, the NAB filed [1] an appeal of the FCC rule with the same court. 

Broadcasters have tried everything to stop the rule, which will require the top four network affilaite stations in the top 50 markets to reveal online their ad rates for political commercials just as the most lucrative election season gets underway.

"NAB's members will suffer irreparable harm absent a stay because the order compels television stations to post the prices for specific advertisements to a public website immediately after the sales occur," the NAB wrote in its petition. "This will place NAB's members at a distinct disadvantage to their non-broadcast competitors, who will not be required to post rate information on the Internet."