House GOP reverses position, won’t block FCC political ad rule

House Republican appropriators reversed their position and will no longer try to block a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation that would require television stations to disclose political ad buyers online.

A draft 2013 Financial Services bill that emerged from subcommittee blocked funding to enforce the regulation. Democrats accused the GOP of trying to hide "fat cat" political donations in an election season in which large, unlimited donations to super-PACs and other outside groups have taken center stage. Republicans backed down from the measure at a full Appropriations Committee markup. They offered instead two reporting requirements that would force the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to analyze the economic impact of the rule. Subcommittee Chairwoman Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) said the FCC database containing the disclosures will likely be set up before the 2013 bill gets enacted, likely after the election, making any attempt to defund it moot. "A funding prohibition might not make any sense under these circumstances," she said.