The following is forwarded from the national technology circuit riders' list. I thought it would be of interest to some HelpNet members.
Jon >Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 10:35:00 -0500 >From: "Richard Aries" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: FCC Proposed Regulations on Internet Political Activity > > >The Federal Election Commission (FEC) today voted to propose several new >regulations to govern political activity on the Internet. > >The proposals follow the extensive public comments on Internet activity that >the FEC requested and received early last year. In keeping with the wary >tone of many these comments, these proposed rules do little to restrict >online activity, and instead would create several "safe-harbors" - >categories of activities that will specifically be permitted without >restriction under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). > >The proposed rules would specifically permit three types of activity: > >First, the regulations would permit an individual acting on a voluntary >basis to use, on behalf of a candidate, any computer equipment or services >that the individual owns. The FEC's proposed regulations state that this >unlimited use of personal computer assets will NOT be subject to the limits >and reporting requirements on "contributions" under FECA, even if >individuals coordinate their activities with candidates, campaigns, or >political parties. > >Next, the regulations would permit corporations and unions to link their web >sites to political web sites, such as web sites for a particular campaign, >without violating FECA's ban on corporate and union contributions. To >comply with the proposed regulations, the links must be provided without >charge, must not be coordinated with a campaign, and must not be in a >context that suggests express advocacy of the linked-to candidate. > >Finally, the regulations would permit corporations to post press releases >announcing their endorsements of particular candidates. Corporations are >permitted under FECA to endorse candidates to their "restricted class" - >their members, shareholders, senior staff, and their families. The FECA >permits corporations to publicize this endorsement to the degree that they >typically publicize other newsworthy events through press releases. This >regulation would clarify that the organization can now post the endorsement >press release on its web site if it typically posts its other press releases >as well. > >Note that these proposed regulations would only interpret federal election >law - not state and local election law, which governs state and local >elections. Moreover, charitable organizations subject to the strict ban on >partisan electioneering under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax law >should not rely on these regulations to shield them if they, for example, >link to a single candidate's web site. > >The proposed regulations are available in pdf format on the FEC web site at >www.fec.gov/agenda/mtgdoc01-48.pdf. The FEC is accepting comments on the >proposals for the next 60 days and is expected to rapidly finalize the >regulations following that comment period. > >For more information on Internet activity by 501(c)(3)s and other nonprofit >organizations, see the Alliance for Justice publication "E-Advocacy for >Nonprofits: The Law of Lobbying and Election-Related Activity on the Net," >available on the Alliance's web site at www.afj.org/eadvocacy/index.htm. > > >---------------- >This message is being distributed to the Alliance for Justice's Nonprofit >Action Network and its Advocacy Lawyers and Accountants Network. Members of >these networks receive occasional e-mail messages with information on new >rules governing nonprofit advocacy, announcements of new publications from >the Alliance, legislative alerts about threats to nonprofit advocacy, and >other information of interest to nonprofit activists and advocacy >professionals. > >To become a member of the Nonprofit Action Network, visit >http://www.afj.org/fai/npansign.cfm. > >To become a member of the Advocacy Lawyers and Accountants Network, visit >http://www.afj.org/fai/apnsign.cfm. Jonathan Falk Pine Tree Folk School RR 2, Box 7162 Carmel, ME 04419 (207)848-2433 <http://www.ptfolkschool.org> **Folkschool-list archives are at: <http://www.mint.net/folkschool/helpnet/archives.htm> Sponsored by Pine Tree Folk School ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84vzQ.a9gqS3 Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
