Senate Committee Considers Cutting Campaign Ad Prices

SENATE COMMITTEE CONSIDERS CUTTING CAMPAIGN AD PRICES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Broadcasters got an earful on Wednesday at a Senate Rules Committee hearing on a campaign finance reform bill. The Fair Elections Now Act -- co-sponsored by Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) and supported by Barack Obama (D-IL) -- is part of a push for publicly-funded elections and would help candidates who agreed to take only small public contributions to afford the TV ads they will need to get elected. Candidates are currently charged the lowest unit rate for TV ads, but the bill would give them a extra 20% discount in the run-up to election day. The bill would also extend the lowest unit rate and discount beyond candidates to ads from political parties. The legislation would also prevent broadcasters from preempting those ads. In addition to providing lower rates to candidates than they do to others, broadcasters would be taxed 2% of their gross advertising revenues to underwrite a political advertising voucher system that would help underwrite ad spending by federal candidates and parties.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6454140.html