GAO Affirms FCC Obligation to Disclose Who’s Paying for Political Ads

Now the FCC Must Make That Happen, Says Michael Copps

Common Cause today welcomed the release of a Government Accountability (GAO) report calling on the Federal Communications Commission to require full disclosure of who’s really paying for political ads on the airwaves. Commenting on the report, Michael Copps, a former FCC Commissioner who now serves as special adviser to Common Cause’s Media and Democracy Reform Initiative said:

“The government’s own watchdog says what I’ve been saying all along – the FCC can and should make full disclosure a reality. It’s high time the FCC listen to the tens of thousands of Common Cause supporters who have already called on the Commission to require real disclosure of the unlimited anonymous money that has corroded discourse and stifled much-needed reforms. The American public has a right to know who is trying to influence them.

“I commend Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman, and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Anna Eshoo for making this very timely report possible. I hope the FCC will take heed – the American people have had their fill of unaccountable and anonymous ads,” Copps said.