47 U.S.C. § 315 — Candidates for public office

(a) Equal opportunities requirement. If a station lets one legally qualified candidate use it, the station must give equal opportunities to every other candidate running for that same office. The station has no power to censor what a candidate says. But a station is never required to let any candidate use it in the first place. A candidate's appearance on (1) a genuine newscast, (2) a genuine news interview, (3) a genuine news documentary — as long as the candidate's appearance is just incidental to the documentary's subject — or (4) live coverage of genuine news events, such as political conventions, does not count as "use" of the station under this rule. Still, in covering news this way, broadcasters must operate in the public interest and give a reasonable chance to discuss conflicting views on important public issues. (b) Charges. (1) In general. What a station charges a candidate for using it cannot be more than: (A), subject to paragraph (2), the station's lowest unit charge for the same class and amount of time in the same period, during the 45 days before a primary or primary runoff and the 60 days before a general or special election; or (B) at any other time, what the station charges other users for comparable use. (2) Content of broadcasts. (A) A federal candidate cannot get that lowest-rate pricing unless the candidate certifies in writing that neither the candidate nor the candidate's committee will directly attack another candidate for the same office in any broadcast under this section — unless that broadcast meets the rules in (C) or (D) below. (B) If a federal candidate makes that kind of attack without meeting (C) or (D), the candidate loses the lowest-rate pricing for that broadcast, and for every other broadcast for the rest of the 45-day or 60-day period, for that election. (C) For a TV broadcast, the candidate meets the requirement if, for at least the last 4 seconds, the screen shows both a clear photo or image of the candidate and clearly readable text naming the candidate and saying the candidate approved the broadcast and the candidate's committee paid for it. (D) For a radio broadcast, the candidate meets the requirement if the broadcast includes the candidate's own voice naming the candidate, naming the office sought, and saying the candidate approved it. (E) The candidate or committee must certify this is accurate at the time they buy the airtime. (F) "Authorized committee" and "Federal office" mean what section 30101 of title 52 says they mean. (c) Definitions. (1) "Broadcasting station" includes a community antenna television system (basically, cable TV). (2) "Licensee" and "station licensee," for such a system, mean whoever operates it. (d) Rules and regulations. The Commission must write the rules needed to carry out this section. (e) Political record. (1) A station must keep, and let the public inspect, a complete record of every request to buy broadcast time that either (A) comes from or on behalf of a legally qualified candidate for public office, or (B) carries a message about a nationally important political matter — including a legally qualified candidate, a federal election, or a nationally important legislative issue. (2) Each record must show: (A) whether the station accepted or rejected the request; (B) the rate charged; (C) the date and time the ad aired; (D) the class of airtime bought; (E) the candidate's name and the office sought, or the election, or the issue involved, whichever applies; (F) for a candidate's request, the candidate's name and the name of the candidate's committee and its treasurer; and (G) for any other request, the name of the buyer, a contact person's name, address, and phone number, and a list of the buyer's top executives or board members. (3) The station must put this information in its political file as soon as possible, and must keep it there for at least two years.