Media Mention

Caleb Burns Comments on Proposal to Disclose Identity of Political Ad Donors

Communications Daily, Washington Internet Daily
April 23, 2014

Caleb P. Burns, a partner in Wiley Rein’s Election Law & Government Ethics Practice, was quoted today in a Communications Daily article about a proposal by former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) high-ranking officials that broadcasters should disclose the identity of the donors that fund nonprofit groups’ political advertisements.  The article also ran in Washington Internet Daily, a sister publication of Communications Daily.

Newton Minow and Henry Geller—who served as FCC chairman and general counsel, respectively, during the Kennedy administration—submitted a petition asking the agency to require the disclosure of political ad donors by way of sponsorship identification.  According to the article, current FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will not likely take up the issue because it could provoke the ire of Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Burns said any opposition from nonprofit groups that buy political ads may “depend on how onerous the disclosure is.”

“The chief argument from the 501(c)(4) community is that disclosure has been used as a weapon for political retaliation,” Mr. Burns said.  “And if that disclosure is significant enough that it results in retaliation from elected officials or others, then they’ll be against it.”

Read Time: 1 min

Related Professionals

Contact

Maria Woehr Aronson
Director of Communications
202.719.3132
maronson@wiley.law 

Molly Peterson
Senior Communications Manager
202.719.3109
mmpeterson@wiley.law

Jump to top of page

Necessary Cookies

Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on its usage. We access and process information from these cookies at an aggregate level.