FCC Chief Examines Political Air Time

To improve the public’s access to political candidates, TV stations could offer a set amount of air time for free, rather than sell unlimited amounts at discounted rates, the nation’s top broadcast regulator suggested. “What I’m basically saying is that we ought to cap the amount of time that is devoted to political broadcasts,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt said in an interview. “Broadcasters could be asked to set aside some percentage of time for a political time bank as part of their existing public interest obligations,” he added. To give broadcasters an incentive to donate air time, Hundt suggested that they be given tax credits or deductions.