March 29, 2006

Pryce Applauds FEC Ruling Protecting Political Speech on the Internet  

House Vote to Keep the FEC out of the Internet No Longer Necessary  

Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Upper Arlington) released the following statement after the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) ruled Monday against applying McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform regulations to on-line politics:

“Political free speech is among our nation’s most cherished and revered individual freedoms, and no where is it being utilized more readily by more people than on the internet. Amid million dollar Congressional campaigns and exorbitantly expensive television political advertising rates, the web has opened up a world of political communication to millions of ordinary Americans.

“I applaud the FEC’s decision on Monday to exempt from its regulatory authority internet activities like emailing, linking, blogging, and hosting a web site. Nonetheless, the House was fully prepared to serve as a backstop against efforts to impinge on the public’s ability to freely exchange political ideas over the internet, and will remain prepared should the Commission revisit the issue.”

On Wednesday, the House was scheduled to consider H.R. 1606, legislation to exempt the Internet from the prohibitions and restrictions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. Following the FEC decision, the House pulled the measure from consideration.

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