STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MICHAEL O’RIELLY Re: Amendment of Section 73.1216 of the Commission’s Rules Related to Broadcast Licensee- Conducted Contests, MB Docket No. 14-226. I am more than happy to support this Order updating requirements for consumer notification of the rules applicable to contests promoted on TV and radio. With its origins in a Petition for Rulemaking filed in January 2012, 1 this is an idea whose time has come, and a common-sense update I championed on my blog early in my time at the Commission. And while I can’t say that every one of my blog posts has gained this amount of traction, hope springs eternal that this is a sign of more good things to come. The original Contest Rule was adopted in 1976 to ensure that broadcasters inform consumers of the material terms of contests they promote. Thirty-nine years later, with almost infinite information about anything available via a quick Internet search, fast talking radio announcers and tiny print on a TV screen are usually not the most effective means to communicate this kind of information. It is great that the Commission has recognized this reality and moved decisively to allow broadcasters to meet their disclosure obligations by posting contest terms on the Internet. Adding this flexibility will vastly improve consumer access to contest information, by making it possible to put that information where interested consumers are most likely to look, and where they will be able to read and digest it 24 hours a day. The key word there is flexibility, and I appreciate that this Order takes the flexible approach of allowing rather than requiring Internet disclosure of contest rules. As I have said, this update should make complying with the rules easier for broadcasters, not more difficult, so those that wish to continue their current on-air disclosure practices should be free to do so. That being said, I predict many broadcasters will take this opportunity to revisit their disclosures and free up some valuable airtime for more content, while consumers interested in participating in contests will be equipped with more information than ever before. This is a true win-win, and I wholeheartedly approve. 1 Petition for Rulemaking filed by Entercom Communications Corp., CGB Docket No. RM-11684 (filed Jan. 20, 2012).