This week, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) voted to exempt much political communication on the Internet from the provisions of the McCain-Feingold finance law. This action is a partial win on free-speech rights, but bad news on government control of the Internet.
A few years ago, the FEC issued regulations exempting the Internet from the just-passed McCain-Feingold law, but U.S. district Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly overturned them, arguing that the commission’s rules undermined the law. The nation’s blogosphere lit up with fear that bloggers and other Web site owners would be subjected to spending limits of US$2,000 and bans on corporate or union donations if they discussed or promoted political candidates.
A Solid Win
The online community’s most extreme fears are now alleviated as the new rules exempt blogging, e-mail communications, and online publications from most campaign law. Paid political advertisements, such as banners or pop-ups that advocate or oppose a federal candidate or solicit contributions to their candidacy, must be accompanied by a disclaimer. The new regulations also allow for bloggers to be paid by a candidate or committee without having to publish a disclosure.
Given the alternative of strict campaign finance laws on the Net, the FEC ruling is a pretty solid win for free speech, and a no-brainer. It’s hard to imagine a bunch of bloggers enthusiastically supporting a party they don’t like just because of money.
Read more here.