FCC Media Bureau Sets Aside Political File Complaint Decisions

The Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau set aside its actions on political file complaints involving a host of TV stations, saying they were more appropriately handled at the bureau level.

"The complaints will be returned to pending status and considered by the Commission," said acting bureau chief Michelle Carey. On Jan. 6, the bureau on its own authority — rather than by a commission vote — admonished Scripps’ WCPO-TV Cincinnati for "failing to include in WCPO-TV’s political file certain information about two requests to purchase broadcast time for non-candidate issue advertisements." Separately, in resolving complaints against a number of stations, the FCC took no enforcement action, but provided clarification going forward about how political ads need to be disclosed, clarification that has been mooted for the moment.