Federal Regulations and the Internet

Re: Bloggers seeking protection from federal regulators, USA Today, June 30, 2005
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2005-06-28-bloggers_x.htm

According to the above article, the Federal Election Commission met last Tuesday to discuss a proposal that would have extended some campaign finance rules to the Internet, including bloggers. Federal election officials until now have steered clear of Internet oversight, siding with bloggers and other online activists who portray the Web as a laboratory of grass-roots political participation and an outlet for free speech that should develop unhampered by the government.
But online political activity has become increasingly more sophisticated since the FEC last examined it a few elections ago. Acknowledging the Internet's growth, a federal judge last year ordered the FEC to extend some of the nation's campaign finance and spending limits to political activity on the Web. Bloggers fear that will mean new, unique limits on their activities, even though several of the commission's six members have indicated they have no desire to go beyond what the judge has ordered them to do.

Even though a majority of Commission members feel that regulations should not be placed on blogging and other internet activities, the hearing indicates just the beginning of a long debate. I am glad the blogging community has organized into a coalition opposing such regulations. Blogging must maintain its independence in order to remain successful. I hope that the blogging community starts a viral marketing campaign to alarm other bloggers about the FEC hearing and possible future debates. The blogging community could really come together on this issue and make a difference.