McCain, Feingold defend campaign finance law, tell bloggers not to worry [fs]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

Previous Politech messages:
http://www.politechbot.com/2005/03/08/says-democratic-fec/
http://www.politechbot.com/2005/03/03/fec-commissioner-warns/

-Declan

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http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/statements/05/03/2005308652.html

Statement of Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold On Internet 
Communications

March 8, 2005

As the primary Senate authors of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 
2002, we have spent years fighting to clean up elections and ensure that 
powerful monied interests do not drown out the voices of everyday 
Americans in our political system. Those interests don't want to give up 
any of their power, and their main tactic has been to try to whip up 
fears, however unfounded and unrealistic, about reform.

The latest misinformation from the anti-reform crowd is the suggestion 
that our bill will require regulation of blogs and other Internet 
communications. A recent federal court decision requires the Federal 
Election Commission to open a new rulemaking on Internet communications. 
The FEC will be looking at whether and how paid advertising on the 
Internet should be treated, i.e., should it be treated differently than 
paid advertising on television or radio. This is an important issue -- 
since BCRA outlawed soft money, we need to make sure that the FEC 
doesn't try once again to subvert the law by creating loopholes. So far, 
the FEC has not even proposed new regulations. When it does so, there 
will be ample opportunity for comment and debate about whatever proposal 
the FEC makes.

This issue has nothing to with private citizens communicating on the 
Internet. There is simply no reason - none - to think that the FEC 
should or intends to regulate blogs or other Internet communications by 
private citizens. Suggestions to the contrary are simply the latest 
attempt by opponents of reform to whip up baseless fears. BCRA was 
intended to empower ordinary citizens, and it has been successful in 
doing so. We will continue to fight for that goal.

# # #

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