A win for transparency in campaign finance

Money in politics just got a little less opaque. A little-known rule by the Federal Communications Commission takes effect for every TV station in the country.

In a nutshell, it requires broadcasters that run political ads to disclose who paid for them. It may sound like a simple idea. But it could have tremendous effects on the way campaigns compete and spend money -- not to mention for third-party groups and members of the general public who are interested in campaign finance, too.

The rule about online record-keeping now applies to all broadcasters everywhere that run political ads. That's likely to increase the number of covered stations from 200 to perhaps around 1,000, estimates Dennis Wharton, a spokesperson for the National Association of Broadcasters.

There are around 1,800 TV stations in America, but those that don't run political ads, such as public broadcasting stations, won't be affected by the rule.