FCC compliance in paid media is about how ads are transmitted and presented across broadcast, cable, satellite, phone, and text. The FCC sets the ground rules for access, placement, and disclosures in these channels. Your media plan should align creative, trafficking, and publisher operations with these requirements:

• Sponsorship identification: On broadcast and MVPD (cable/satellite) inventory, clearly state who paid for or furnished the content. Disclosures must run at the time of the spot. This applies to traditional spots and anything of value provided for broadcast. See FCC sponsorship identification guidance.
• Political advertising access and parity: For federal candidates, ensure reasonable access to broadcast time. Apply equal opportunities rules for legally qualified opponents and respect lowest unit charge windows. Maintain complete political files with required details.
• CALM Act loudness limits: TV commercials must not be louder than the surrounding program per the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation rules. Coordinate with post-production and stations to meet the ATSC A/85 standard or station-specified requirements.
• Indecency and children's programming limits: Plan dayparting to avoid indecent content in protected hours on broadcast. For children's programming, comply with commercial time limits and content restrictions that apply to broadcast and cable networks with kids blocks.
• Telephone and text campaigns: Calls and texts made using autodialers must honor TCPA and FCC robocall rules, including consent, opt-out, identification, and do-not-call obligations. Maintain scrubs and consent records.
• Junk fax prohibitions: Do not transmit unsolicited advertising faxes. If you send lawful faxes, include required opt-out language and sender identification.
• Public file and documentation: For political ads on broadcast, keep complete and timely public file entries, including sponsor, issue/candidate, amounts, run dates, and order details, per FCC rules.

In short, the FCC regulates how ads are carried and disclosed in these channels, while the FTC focuses on whether claims are truthful and non-deceptive. Paid media leaders need both lenses in flight planning.

Use this step-by-step approach to operationalize FCC compliance across the paid media lifecycle:

1) Planning and buying

• Map channel risks: flag broadcast TV/radio, cable/satellite avails, and any phone or text campaigns for specialized review.
• Political season rules: if any spend involves candidates or issue ads that mention candidates, confirm reasonable access, equal opportunities, and lowest unit charge implications before you place the order.
• Budget for disclosures: allocate time in creative and trafficking for clear sponsorship identification lines that meet station requirements.

2) Creative and production

• Audio loudness: master spots to CALM-compliant loudness targets; obtain or provide station-accepted loudness certification.
• On-screen/voice disclosure: ensure sponsorship ID is conspicuous and understandable at the time of broadcast; align length, font, and readability with station specs.
• Content checks: review for indecency risks and for any children's programming adjacency constraints. Daypart or exclude where needed.

3) Trafficking and placement

• Traffic instructions: include required sponsor text and any "paid for by" supers in traffic notes and slates.
• Political orders: attach candidate certifications and keep copies of scripts, invoices, and schedules to support public file entries.
• Phone/text runs: verify consent logs, opt-out language, caller ID, and DNC scrubs before launch.

4) Monitoring and documentation

• Spot as-run and loudness verification: pull as-run logs and loudness reports; remediate any CALM nonconformance with the station.
• Public file compliance: for political ads, confirm broadcasters posted required order details; maintain your records in parallel.
• Incident response: if a complaint or inquiry arrives, route to legal quickly with copies of disclosures, scripts, consent records, and placements.

Noncompliance risks include fines, required make-goods or takedowns, loss of access to inventory, and reputational harm. The FCC's Enforcement Bureau handles investigations tied to transmission and access rules, such as sponsorship identification failures, CALM violations, robocall abuses, or unlawful junk faxing.

How the FCC and FTC align: the FCC governs how communications services carry ads and what disclosures accompany them. The FTC polices deceptive or unfair advertising claims. In practice:

• If a TV spot is too loud or lacks a sponsorship ID, the FCC is primary.
• If the ad's claims are misleading, the FTC takes the lead.
• Political access, equal opportunities, and public file are FCC domains.
• Phone and text campaigns must meet FCC rules on consent and identification. Content claims in those messages still face FTC scrutiny.

Practical tip: treat compliance as a joint workflow. Pair media operations checklists with legal review. Keep artifacts that prove how the ad was transmitted, disclosed, and consented, alongside substantiation for any claims.