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SUPREME COURT |
Free Television Time
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While candidates coninue to raise and spend hundreds of millions of dollars to run political ads, ongoning research suggests that television stations virtually ignore the candidates and issues by failing to cover election races. Congress has begun to recognize that skyrocketing pricetags for political advertisements and shrinking coverage of the candidates and issues may not make for a strong and vibrant democracy. A free air time mandate would open up the public’s airwaves to more candidates, new ideas and an invigorated debate. In an attempt to incorporate this concept into the fabric of campaign finance reform, the U.S. Senate recently introduced S. 3124, the Political Broadcast Activity Improvements Act. While its future is uncertain in the 108th Congress, its relevancy remains at the forefront of the campaign finance debate. Click Here to view the text of Senate Bill 3124, |
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