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Attention bloggers, please file your lobbyist forms...

Posted by Mike Reitz - November 12, 2008

I just got out of the Public Disclosure Commission's stakeholder meeting regarding Internet lobbying. As I blogged yesterday, the PDC is asking whether Internet activities such as email or blogging qualify as lobbying. Goldy has this succinct reply: "Um ... hell, no."
 
The purpose of today's meeting was to solicit public comment. Nancy Krier, the PDC's general counsel, ran the meeting and about a dozen folks showed up. I shared EFF's concern: that the Internet, which has become the new town square, is a forum where many citizens voice opinions about legislation and public policy issues. 
 
Excessive regulation in this arena could quash free speech and cause "regular" folks great frustration if their online activity comes with reporting requirements. Not even addressing the bloggers who generate some modest advertising income, should ordinary citizens have to register with a state agency simply because they're outspoken about a particular issue? 
 
The PDC will discuss this again on December 4.
 
UPDATE: Eric Earling has more over at SoundPolitics.

Thoughts?   Add Comment -

said on Nov 12 2008 at 2:01pm
What morons. How do they propose to enforce such a rule? It might be easy enough to slam nonprofits and big blogging sites like sound politics or horse's ass. But what about smaller blogs/bloggers?

These people are an insane bunch of control freaks. Ask the PDC if they've ever heard of a "chilling effect." I can't see how this kind of regulation of speech could ever stand up to legal scrutiny.

If this thing passes, people should band together and run a giant campaign to try to get as many people as possible to create their own political blogs and deliberately NOT report their opinions to the PDC. See if those control freaks can put us ALL in jail.

Lew Waters said on Nov 12 2008 at 11:45pm
If blogging should be considered lobbying, shouldn't Letters To The Editor and Op-Ed's too?

We bloggers are doing nothing more than engaging free speech and most stand on principle where we show show support, regardless of political leanings. Few earn any living off of blogging nor do most represent any organization, just common people from all sides of the political spectrum exercising Free Speech.

This is nothing more than assault on Free Speech in a medium they have no control over. Call it the unFairness Doctrine for the Internet.

Liberals, Moderates, Conservatives, we all better stand together on this one.