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Broadcasters have no “reasoned or legitimate explanation” of why keeping “an online...

Broadcasters have no “reasoned or legitimate explanation” of why keeping “an online political file entails more burden or requires more staff time than is already expended to maintain the existing paper file,” the Public Interest Public Airwaves Coalition told the…

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FCC. “In 2012 it is ludicrous for broadcasters to deny the efficiency advantages gained from switching from paper files to electronic ones,” said PIPAC, a coalition of nonprofits seeking to move the information to the FCC’s website from the studios of all TV stations. “Exempting some licensees from the online posting requirement based on station or market size would result in arbitrary line drawing by the Commission.” PIPAC criticized a list of “the limited data” that 11 companies that own TV stations proposed to put online (CD Feb 22 p2), because it wouldn’t include the entire political file. That plan “could be construed to exclude information on political and issue advertising purchased by groups organized under sections 501(c)3 and 527 of the internal revenue code, including ... so-called Super PACs,” it said. Broadcasters want to “omit from online disclosure the cost of individual ads, whether a request to purchase broadcast time was accepted or rejected, the date and time on which the broadcast is aired, or the class of time purchased,” the coalition said. Officials with the Campaign Legal Center, Free Press, Georgetown University’s Institute for Public Representation and Media Access Project met with aides to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, said an ex parte filing (http://xrl.us/bmt9j4) posted Thursday in docket 00-168. Another filing from Steve Waldman, author of the FCC report that recommended public files go online, outlined pros and cons from his view of the industry proposal. A “potential positive” is the possibility that the information could be in an easily searchable database format,” Waldman wrote (http://xrl.us/bmt9mu) of conversations with FCC Chief of Staff Zac Katz and Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake. A drawback is “the possibility that it could leave some important information out of the online system,” Waldman said. “Pursuing this approach could cause delays that might undermine the ability to get meaningful disclosure implemented this year, which would be a very unfortunate outcome.” The filing was made four days late, and expanded on a recent ex parte document (http://xrl.us/bmt9o4).