Gold9472
05-31-2005, 01:36 PM
FEC treads into sticky web of political blogs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/chitribts/20050531/ts_chicagotrib/fectreadsintostickywebofpoliticalblogs
By Dawn Withers Washington Bureau
Tue May 31, 9:40 AM ET
Web loggers, who pride themselves on freewheeling political activism, might face new federal rules on candidate endorsements, online fundraising and political ads, though bloggers who don't take money from political groups would not be affected.
Draft rules from the Federal Election Commission, which enforces campaign finance laws, would require that paid political advertisements on the Internet declare who funded the ad, as television spots do.
Similar disclaimers would be placed on political Web sites, as well as on e-mails sent to people on purchased lists containing more than 500 addresses. The FEC also is considering whether to require Web loggers, called bloggers, to disclose whether they get money from a campaign committee or a candidate and to reveal whether they are being paid to write about certain candidates or solicit contributions on their behalf.
These rules would not affect citizens who don't take money from political action committees or parties.
The FEC long has been reluctant to craft rules for the Internet, and it has exempted the online world from many regulations that apply to other media such as television and radio. But a court ruling last fall required the agency to include the Internet in its definition of public communications and to begin regulating activities there.
The FEC, which also is striving to clarify regulations about online volunteer campaign activity, is accepting public comments on the proposals until Friday. Hearings will be held June 28 and 29.
The final version of the rules is expected later this year, unless Congress intervenes to exempt the Internet from FEC regulation, as is wanted by lawmakers including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
Advocates for rules say they are necessary to prevent groups such as corporations and labor unions from exploiting loopholes.
"I think FEC needs to regulate ordinary people as lightly as possible," said Carol Darr, director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.
But as Internet technology improves, she said, politicians, corporations and unions will "learn where to go to reach unconverted people. They will use Internet more and more. People like me who are worried about corporate and union abuse are less comfortable with that."
Opponents of the regulations, including many bloggers, worry that freedom of speech would suffer and that the rules would have a chilling effect on the lively political discussions that occur online. FEC regulation, they say, would unfairly punish individuals, adding that nothing happened in the 2004 elections to warrant intervention.
Adam Bonin, a lawyer in Philadelphia, is drafting comments to the FEC on behalf of two prominent bloggers, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga of Daily Kos and Duncan Black of Eschaton.
Bonin said his clients "want to know they are protected in . . . terms of reporting, advocacy, fundraising for candidates and accepting advertising."
He added, "They want to make sure the regulations are clear enough so they and their users feel confident they can speak without worrying that the FEC will issue a subpoena for innocuous activities."
FEC commissioners say they are drafting rules cautiously and being careful to craft protections for individual speakers and online news publications.
"The fundamental presumption has changed from the Internet being unregulatable to now it will be regulated," said FEC Commissioner Bradley Smith.
Smith cautioned that the rules, if approved, could be more restrictive than many think, and he predicted that more rules likely would follow.
Smith, who favors less regulation, said he wouldn't commit to voting in favor of the rules.
He said he had wanted the FEC to appeal U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision in hopes of warding off any Internet regulation.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/chitribts/20050531/ts_chicagotrib/fectreadsintostickywebofpoliticalblogs
By Dawn Withers Washington Bureau
Tue May 31, 9:40 AM ET
Web loggers, who pride themselves on freewheeling political activism, might face new federal rules on candidate endorsements, online fundraising and political ads, though bloggers who don't take money from political groups would not be affected.
Draft rules from the Federal Election Commission, which enforces campaign finance laws, would require that paid political advertisements on the Internet declare who funded the ad, as television spots do.
Similar disclaimers would be placed on political Web sites, as well as on e-mails sent to people on purchased lists containing more than 500 addresses. The FEC also is considering whether to require Web loggers, called bloggers, to disclose whether they get money from a campaign committee or a candidate and to reveal whether they are being paid to write about certain candidates or solicit contributions on their behalf.
These rules would not affect citizens who don't take money from political action committees or parties.
The FEC long has been reluctant to craft rules for the Internet, and it has exempted the online world from many regulations that apply to other media such as television and radio. But a court ruling last fall required the agency to include the Internet in its definition of public communications and to begin regulating activities there.
The FEC, which also is striving to clarify regulations about online volunteer campaign activity, is accepting public comments on the proposals until Friday. Hearings will be held June 28 and 29.
The final version of the rules is expected later this year, unless Congress intervenes to exempt the Internet from FEC regulation, as is wanted by lawmakers including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
Advocates for rules say they are necessary to prevent groups such as corporations and labor unions from exploiting loopholes.
"I think FEC needs to regulate ordinary people as lightly as possible," said Carol Darr, director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.
But as Internet technology improves, she said, politicians, corporations and unions will "learn where to go to reach unconverted people. They will use Internet more and more. People like me who are worried about corporate and union abuse are less comfortable with that."
Opponents of the regulations, including many bloggers, worry that freedom of speech would suffer and that the rules would have a chilling effect on the lively political discussions that occur online. FEC regulation, they say, would unfairly punish individuals, adding that nothing happened in the 2004 elections to warrant intervention.
Adam Bonin, a lawyer in Philadelphia, is drafting comments to the FEC on behalf of two prominent bloggers, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga of Daily Kos and Duncan Black of Eschaton.
Bonin said his clients "want to know they are protected in . . . terms of reporting, advocacy, fundraising for candidates and accepting advertising."
He added, "They want to make sure the regulations are clear enough so they and their users feel confident they can speak without worrying that the FEC will issue a subpoena for innocuous activities."
FEC commissioners say they are drafting rules cautiously and being careful to craft protections for individual speakers and online news publications.
"The fundamental presumption has changed from the Internet being unregulatable to now it will be regulated," said FEC Commissioner Bradley Smith.
Smith cautioned that the rules, if approved, could be more restrictive than many think, and he predicted that more rules likely would follow.
Smith, who favors less regulation, said he wouldn't commit to voting in favor of the rules.
He said he had wanted the FEC to appeal U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision in hopes of warding off any Internet regulation.