{dkos} FEC: This Is Your Last Chance To Help Save Democracy Online

[luaptifer]

there are many valuable links in the original post, please visit the original @ dkos for the formatted, linked diary and the comments following it:

HINT: this is an issue critical to DUers!


by acbonin


Thu Jun 2nd, 2005 at 12:44:37 EDT

(From the diaries -- kos)

Tomorrow is the LAST DAY for citizens to file their comments before the Federal Election Commission regarding its impending rulemaking regarding political activity on the Internet.

Everybody from across the spectrum is getting into it now: the Online Coalition folks have posted their formal comment for your signature, and ordinary citizens from left to right have been emailing their comments to [e-mail].

We only have until June 3. Don't wait. Act now. And whatever you send to the FEC, post it here too as an example for others.



You have two obligations, if you are a citizen of the blogosphere who wants to see it remain the most vibrant market of political speech and ideas ever seen:

1. Learn. (And if you don't understand it, Ask. Here.)

2. Act. Speak directly to the FEC and tell them how you use the Internet, and how this matters to you. Here's how:

Electronic comments must be sent to either [e-mail] or submitted through the Federal eRegulations Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Any commenters who submit electronic comments and wish to testify at the hearing on this rulemaking must also send a copy of their comments to [e-mail]. If the electronic comments include an attachment, the attachment must be in the Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) or Microsoft Word (.doc) format. Faxed comments must be sent to [phone], with hard copy followup. Hard copy comments and hard copy follow-up of faxed comments must be sent to the Federal Election Commission, 999 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 20463.

All comments must include the full name and postal service address of the commenter or they will not be considered. The Commission will post comments on its Web site after the comment period ends.
Whether you believe that all campaign finance regulation is bad, or whether you believe that political activity on the Internet does need some regulation, it's important that you educate the FEC as to its regulatory task and limits.

Even if they mean well, that doesn't mean they understand the impact of seemingly innocuous regulations on what we're doing out here. As Judge Stewart Dalzell wrote of the Communications Decency Act, "no matter how benign the purpose, could burn the global village to roast the pig."

see original FEC: This Is Your Last Chance To Help Save Democracy Online

[Wilms]

1. kick n/t