Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are moving to block proposed new regulations from FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel aimed at ensuring transparency in political advertising on radio around the use of generative AI.
Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Mike Lee (R-UT) are introducing the “Ending FCC Meddling in Our Elections Act.”
The bill, first obtained by The Daily Caller, simply says, “The Federal Communications Commission may not promulgate or enforce any rule relating to the draft notice of proposed rule-making circulated by the Chairwoman of the Commission on May 22, 2024, regarding disclosure of the use of artificial intelligence-generated content in political advertisements on television and radio.”
Chairwoman Rosenworcel proposed the new regulations in May, which would mandate the disclosure of AI-generated content in radio political ads, necessitating both on-air announcements and written documentation in broadcasters’ political files. It would apply to radio and television broadcasters, cable operators, and satellite TV and radio providers.
Senator Lee told The Daily Caller he supports transparency around AI, just not by a Democrat-led FCC. “The FCC’s proposal to impose new regulations on political speech involving AI, just months before one of the most consequential elections in our history, represents a clear overstep of their regulatory authority.”
Lummis added, “No federal agency should have the ability to interfere in our elections process, and our bill ensures the American people, not a biased agency, determines the outcome of the presidential election.”
Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s move also drew sharp criticism from Federal Election Commission Chairman Sean Cooksey, who argued that this move intrudes on the FEC’s exclusive jurisdiction. As the FEC is tasked with overseeing political communications regulations by Congress, Cooksey said the FCC proposal would “sow chaos.” He suggests delaying any new FCC rules concerning political advertising and AI until after the November 2024 elections to avoid impacting the electoral process.
The FCC plans to vote on this proposal, seeking public feedback on the new rules if passed, aligning with the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act’s goal to protect the public from misleading content.
Sens. Lummis and Lee’s bill has yet to be assigned a specific number or be made publicly available in the Congressional Register.
So… Senator Lee supports transparency around the use of AI, just not when Democrats suggest it ?
That’s complete buffoonery.
Either you support it, or you don’t.
Senator Lee is completely beholden to a 34 times convicted felon, and has no interest in doing what is right for the people.
Shameful.
I have questions.
First of all…WHY would a political candidate NEED to use AI in their commercial? Except to defraud the listening public. Second, why would these Senators defend the use of ARTIFICAL intelligence in a political ad…unless they, themselves, either use or plan to use it.
How is preventing a candidate, or their campaign from using ARTIFICAL intelligence (or fraud) interfering with an election? IMO if a candidate needs to use fake images or voices to get their point across, they are not worthy of my vote. The FCC preventing AI from use in political advertising isn’t “sowing chaos” it’s preventing it.