GAO Looking Into Sponsorship IDs

The Government Accounting Office is preparing a report to Congress on sponsorship identification requirements for television and radio stations, cable systems and satellite operators.

At the request of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and ranking House Commerce Committee member Henry Waxman (D-CA), GAO is looking at "current issues with sponsorship identification by media outlets, including the prevalence of video news releases and sponsorship in news and other features, the prevalence of broadcasters not meeting the requirements, the actions FCC has taken in the past, and the role FCC and others may play in the future as technology changes," according to an e-mail request from a field office analyst to one stakeholder.

In the letter, the analyst said the following were the topics GAO had been asked to focus on in its report:

1. Discuss how FCC regulates the sponsorship identification laws and regulations;
2. Identify challenges to implementing the regulations, meeting the requirements, and reporting violations;
3. Discuss if Congress or FCC should consider any changes to the laws or regulations;
4. Identify, how many complaints FCC has received and what enforcement actions FCC has taken in response to complaints and violations; and
5. Discuss stakeholders' views on the effect of the regulations and the effect of the enforcement actions.