[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 217 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 217

 Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the authority of the 
                   Federal Communications Commission.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 1998

Mr. Tauzin (for himself, Mr. Boucher, Mr. Livingston, Mr. Stearns, Mr. 
  Klug, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Deal of Georgia, Mr. Paxon, Mrs. Cubin, Mr. 
    Hastert, Mr. Oxley, Mr. Burr of North Carolina, and Mr. Rogan) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                       the Committee on Commerce

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                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the authority of the 
                   Federal Communications Commission.

    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Congress has never granted the Federal 
        Communications Commission the authority to compel broadcast 
        station licensees to provide free broadcast time for the airing 
        of political advertising, other than the specific equal time 
        obligations of section 315 of the Communications Act of 1934;
            (2) section 315 of that Act contains specific and 
        reasonable limits on the compensation that may be required of 
        political candidates for the airing of political advertising 
        that the Congress enacted as the exclusive authority of the 
        Commission with respect to compensation for political 
        advertising;
            (3) the Commission may not further expand the public 
        interest obligations of broadcast station licensees to accept 
        political advertising without express statutory authority from 
        the Congress, and the responsible weighing of the legal and 
        economic problems that congressional consideration entails; and
            (4) the Federal Communications Commission should not engage 
        in actions that would congest the Federal courts with needless 
        litigation concerning the limits on the Commission's authority, 
        wasting the congressionally appropriated resources of the 
        Commission, the Department of Justice, and the judicial branch.
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