Court blocks Trump FCC order that could flood broadcast TV with more election ads

Ars Technica reports that a federal appeals court on Wednesday halted a Trump administration decision that would have forced broadcasters to offer the lowest advertising rates to political parties and joint fundraising committees, a move critics said could flood television with election ads. The Fourth Circuit judges, in a two‑to‑one vote, sided with four Democratic candidates who argued that only individual candidates qualify for the so‑called lowest unit charge, and they set aside the FCC order slated to take effect on September fourth, the start of the sixty‑day pre‑election period. The ruling means the FCC's lower‑rate rule will not be implemented as scheduled.

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