Court clears way for political ad contracts to go online

(Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday cleared the way for new rules to take effect next week that will force broadcasters to publish political advertising contracts online....

"We continue to believe it is fundamentally unfair for local TV stations to be the only medium required to disclose on the Internet sensitive advertising rate information," Dennis Wharton, NAB's executive vice president of communications, said in a statement....

The data broadcasters will post online includes detailed information on who paid for political ads, key personnel of the groups buying ads, when political ads aired and rejections of requests to buy air time.

The four biggest broadcasters are ABC, operated by Walt Disney Co, CBS Corp, News Corp's Fox, and NBC, controlled by Comcast Corp.