FEC backing down on blog attack

The US Federal Election Commission has revealed that it plans to back down on its attempts to regulate political blogs.

The agency, which was reported to be considering regulating US political blogs, has been under fire from all quarters over a policy that could have stifled free speech and debate in the blogosphere.

According to the Washington Post, a FEC “notice of proposed rulemaking,” indicates that the Commisioners are focusing much of their attention on whether to apply federal contribution limits on online political advertising campaigns and that the commissioners are leaning against imposing restrictions on blogs.

“I think that we’re trying to use this document as some sort of broad hint that, at least at this stage, we don’t plan to regulate the vast majority of what individuals do [online] and the vast majority of what bloggers do…It is designed to give people a pretty clear signal that the FEC never did have any intent to overregulate citizens who want to use Internet technology for communicating in the area of politics,” FEC Chairman Scott E. Thomas (D) told the Washington Times, despite being one of 3 Democrat members of the Committee who voted against a Republican motion to continue the previous exclusion provision provided under US campaign laws to the internet and blogs.