FCC approves new rules for TV, radio contests

The Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved a rule Thursday that will allow broadcasters to share rules for promotional contests online instead of only on air.

TV and radio broadcasters will be able to post information on contests they hold on a publicly available website or continue to disclose them on air. They will be required to “periodically” broadcast the website address where the information is located and place a link to the terms on their homepage. They will also be required to preserve the terms online for a period of time after the contest is completed.

{mosads}The item is an update to a 1976 rule. The commissioners have frequently disagreed in recent months on many issues but came together, saying altering the rule would better reflect how Americans find information today.

“This is change, this is progress, and it reflects how we access information in the digital age,” said Democratic Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel.

Chairman Tom Wheeler said that the commission was “moving old concepts to new realities.”

Republican Commissioner Ajit Pai said that the move would be good for broadcasters and for consumers, who will now be able to access contest rules where they spend their time: online.

The commission also signed off on a notice of proposed rulemaking that would require the operators of the undersea cables that power much of the transcontinental Internet infrastructure to report outages.

The FCC meeting clocked in at less than an hour, uncharacteristically short.