OAAA @ IBO
Andy McDonald was a featured speaker at the Independent Billboard Operators conference in Phoenix, providing attendees with important updates on an active 2026 state legislative cycle, as well as congressional and agency activity. We appreciate the continued opportunity to advise independent operators about our government affairs efforts on behalf of the industry.
State Associations
Andy McDonald and Mike Hershey participated this month in numerous fall conferences of state outdoor advertising associations. They attended and gave presentations at the annual meetings of the California, Florida, Georgia, and Pennsylvania associations. Our collective government affairs advocacy maximizes our industry strength at the state and federal levels.
Campaigns
The U.S. Senate race in Texas has become the second most expensive non-presidential campaign in history, surpassing $500M in political ad spending. With weeks remaining before election day, it is projected to break the $542M record set by the 2024 Ohio U.S. Senate race.
A.I.
So far in this election cycle, 220 political campaign ads have featured Artificial Intelligence, and a total of $137M has been spent circulating those ads. Over thirty states have passed laws requiring disclosure when synthetic images, videos, or audio recordings are used in political messaging.
FBI
Congratulations to the North Carolina Outdoor Advertising Association for receiving the Community Leadership Award from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In May, OAAA renewed our industry partnership with the FBI through an updated Memorandum of Understanding, which governs the use of our digital assets in the agency’s public safety initiatives. The FBI’s Charlotte Office recognized NCOAA, which modeled its MOU after the OAAA.
Ad Targeting
California recently enacted greater protections for social media users under the age of 16, through a new law that restricts the collection and use of consumer profile data. Among the provisions are limitations on using data profiles for targeted advertising. While the new law appears to have no direct impact on OOH, we will continue to monitor future regulatory implementation, which will more clearly define platform responsibilities and statutory application.
Published: October 29, 2026