Legal Status of Digital Billboards Clarified in the US

October 1st, 2007 Nurlan Urazbaev

Putting an end to the confusion as to ‘how to classify digital boards and whether or not they should be allowed’, the Federal Highway Administration recently ruled that digital billboards are permissible and are not “flashing” or “intermittent,” according to this article by MediaWeek. Clearly, it’s a big win for outdoor media companies such as Clear Channel and Lamar Advertising, who started exploring this field several years ago and both now operate an outdoor digital signage network.

Media Week says that as a result of the ruling, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America is expecting several hundred more digital billboards to be installed next year. There are about 700 digital displays in operation out of a total of 450,000 static billboards in the US, as estimated by the OAAA.

Andy Manis for The New York Times. A digital billboard on the Beltline Highway in Madison, Wis. (reprinted from the New York Times online edition)

As reported by digitalsignagetoday.com, the new ruling contains guidelines that suggest display times between four and ten seconds with eight seconds as the recommended static dwell time. In regard to lighting, the memo said signs should be “not unreasonably bright for the safety of the motoring public.” ‘The recent, clearly worded FHWA guidance memo updates and clarifies a 1996 FHWA memo that said changeable message billboards are acceptable if allowed by states and the signs do not contain flashing, intermittent, or moving lights,’ writes digitalsignagetoday.com.

MINNETONKA, Minn. (AP) — When officials in this Minneapolis suburb didn’t like the two eye-popping digital billboards that Clear Channel erected along the freeway, they literally pulled the plug.They had the power company cut off the electricity. Posted by Mac on Starts & Stops blog

Entry Filed under: The Big Picture, Uncategorized