equal time

American  

noun

1. an equal amount of time on the air, which radio and television licensees are required to offer to opposing candidates for public office and to those voicing diverging views on public referendums.

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equal time Cultural  

1. A ruling of the United States government, administered by the Federal Communications Commission, requiring that all candidates for public office be given equal access to the free or paid use of radio and television.

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Etymology

Origin of equal time

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Under the rules, Carr said, the show would have to give equal time to a Republican candidate.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

This is thanks to the network’s pretextual-sounding claims about the equal time rule.

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

The FCC equal time rules don’t apply to streaming, podcasts or cable TV because those mediums don’t use public airwaves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

News content has traditionally been exempted from the "equal time" rule.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

Besides, those little shorthand symbols in the book my mother showed me seemed just as bad as let t equal time and let s equal the total distance.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath