A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday blocked a Federal Communications Commission plan to extend discounted broadcast television advertising rates to political party and joint fundraising committees.
The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the FCC lacked authority to expand the longstanding policy, which currently applies only to political candidates. The majority found that existing campaign finance statutes do not authorize such discounts for parties or committees with non-candidate members, and that the FCC failed to cite prior guidance permitting the change.
Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson dissented, arguing the majority had improperly restricted the FCC’s jurisdiction before commissioners could fulfill their congressional mandate. The decision reverses a policy shift pushed by the Republican-controlled FCC under Chair Brendan Carr, who did not immediately comment.
The ruling arrives ahead of the 2026 election cycle, when AdImpact projects total U.S. political ad spending will reach $11.6 billion, including $5.6 billion on broadcast TV. The policy change had been intended to align party committees with candidates in accessing lower ad rates during the lowest-cost advertising period, which begins September 4.
Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez had previously warned the expansion would "unleash a flood of coordinated campaign money into broadcast advertising." The Elias Law Group, representing Democratic candidates and committees, called the decision "a huge blow to the Republican Party."
The Supreme Court in June struck down longstanding limits on how much party committees may coordinate with federal candidates, a decision that preceded the FCC’s proposal. The case underscores ongoing legal and regulatory battles over campaign finance rules as midterm elections approach.
