The White House Wants to Regulate ...... Political Blogs

[Pooky 3,783]

Good News: Political Blogs May Be Regulated By The FEC

Filed as News on May 20, 2010 9:27 pm

by Darnell Clayton

It look like American bloggers could face a new threat that may make people think twice before criticizing their political leaders online.

Apparently the US government thinks bloggers are becoming a public hazard, and like a few other industries (i.e. airplanes, banks and nuclear power plants) need to be regulated by the government (in this case the Federal Election Commission).

The Obama administration has announced plans to regulate the Internet through the Federal Communications Commission, extending its authority over broadband providers to police web traffic, enforcing “net neutrality.”

Last week, a congressional hearing exposed an effort to give another agency—the Federal Election Commission—unprecedented power to regulate political speech online. At a House Administration Committee hearing last Tuesday, Patton Boggs attorney William McGinley explained that the sloppy statutory language in the “DISCLOSE Act” would extend the FEC’s control over broadcast communications to all “covered communications,” including the blogosphere. (Reason.com)

This law would probably extend to Twitter as well, not to mention Facebook too (the latter who is embroiled in another censorship case via Pakistan).

Although this law (or measure) will probably be struck down by the US Supreme Court (who seems to love the first amendment aka “freedom of speech” for you non-yanks), the fact that the US government would even consider this is troublesome.

Unless the government is dealing with slander, a terrorist threat or a pay per post scandal they shouldn’t bother regulating the blogosphere as that could result in a political backlash (not to mention an provide an incentive to host ones content over seas).

Hopefully common sense prevails regarding this issue, as the last thing bloggers need is to worry about is regulation from “Uncle Sam.”

(via Hot Air)

Main link

Censorship is alive and well in the USA. Wherefore now O Constitution?

[mawilson 2,133]

#### Obama. I'm starting a political blog.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Obama hates free s speech.

[Nagishkaw 510]

The White House Wants to Regulate ......EVERYTHING.

[IndigoSkies 168]

My friends you are all very ill informed about what is net neutrality. Net neutrality means that nobody has any power to curve your acess to anyting on the net. Like your internet provider cannot block one website over another. They should provide the connection to the sites and not block anything.

You are being alarmist if you think White House is trying to curve free speech. Blogs have started to become as popular and as authorative as traditional news outlet which are required to be apolitical by FCC. These blogs raise millions of dollars for their candidate of choice making it a matter of election commission. Please please please understand the issue first before you start to cry about it.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

While Obama has said that Political blogs and the new media are dangerous, I doubt that you can expect any actual regulation without him basically giving himself a big target on his head for doing such a thing.

You can push us around all you want, but you take our voice away and there will be hell to pay and he knows this as well as the rest of his cabinet.

Though is Rahm Emanuel has his way, we'd all be in concentration camps for re-education now anyway.....

[mawilson 2,133]

These blogs raise millions of dollars for their candidate of choice making it a matter of election commission.

So what? Money alone doesn't get you elected; if it did, Michael Bloomberg would be President right now.

Besides, the Supreme Court recently ruled that the government has no business regulating political speech and may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections.