mr. speaker , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
mr. speaker , the advent of the internet age has brought about a host of new ways for citizens to participate in the political arena . 
web sites , e-mail , and blogging have provided new avenues for political activists to reach out to potential voters , to raise issue awareness , to solicit contributions , and to mobilize the get-out-the-vote efforts . 
the internet has also generated a more widespread flow of news information through not only mainstream media sources but also independent web sites and blogs . 
most importantly , it has created a completely new opportunity for all citizens to exercise their right to free speech by opining on the most important issues of the day as they see them , as the citizens see them . 
unfortunately , mr. speaker , all of this activity is actually under attack today . 
when congress passed the bipartisan campaign finance reform act in 2002 , the law apparently was unclear on what impact it would have on political speech on the internet . 
the federal election commission interpreted the law to say that congress did not intend to regulate the internet when it passed bcra . 
the bill 's sponsors disagreed , and they sued the fec in the courts . 
a recent appellate court decision will force the fec to implement a rule that would cover internet communications . 
if the congress does not act now and make it clear that it does not want the internet to be regulated , the fec will adopt a new rule to regulate the internet ; and by passing h.r. 1606 , also known as the online freedom of speech act , congress can prevent this from happening . 
h.r. 1606 , introduced by the gentleman from texas ( mr. hensarling ) xz4001750 , amends the federal election campaign act of 1971 to exclude internet communications from the definition of `` public communication , '' thus exempting web sites , blogs , and online advertisements from federal elections commission , fec , regulation . 
this bill has very , very strong bipartisan support . 
in testimony before the fec and before the committee on house administration , both liberal and conservative bloggers expressed their support for this exemption . 
senate minority leader reid has introduced a companion bill in the u.s. senate and written to the fec to express his belief that the internet should not be regulated . 
the regulations proposed by the fec could limit the ability of online activists to talk to campaigns , to give discounts on advertisements , to spend money maintaining their site , to link to candidates ' sites , to advocate the election of a candidate , or to send political e-mails . 
the fec would potentially grant some bloggers and online publications what is known as the `` media exemption , '' which would allow these bloggers to operate free of fec regulation like any standard newspaper or news program . 
however , the rules were very unclear about how the fec would determine who qualified for the exemption . 
potentially , the fec 's rulings could become content-based restrictions on speech and on free speech . 
as we consider this legislation , mr. speaker , we must remember that the internet is not like traditional forms of media . 
unlike television and radio , activists do not require large sums of money to post their message on the internet . 
also , the number of people reached and the success of communication are not directly linked to the amount of money that is spent . 
in addition , the internet is not an invasive medium . 
in other words , the recipients of communication are exposed to the communication only after they take deliberate and affirmative steps to find a particular web site . 
further , the internet has generated a surge in grassroots involvement in the political process . 
mr. speaker , historically , congress has regulated political speech only where it has the potential to cause corruption or the appearance of corruption . 
there has been no demonstration that the growth of the internet has had a corrupting influence on politics . 
there is , however , ample evidence that the internet has had a positive effect on our political system by encouraging young people , a whole new generation of people , to get involved in our political process . 
any internet regulations would be complicated and difficult for a lay person to understand . 
bloggers and other online activists should not have to worry about accidentally running afoul of campaign finance laws when they are expressing their own opinions on the internet . 
regulatory proponents claim regulations are necessary to reduce the influence of wealthy interests . 
in fact , mr. speaker , these complex regulations , if enacted , would actually increase the influence of big money and politics , because then only the wealthy could afford to hire election attorneys to be certain that they were abiding by these very complicated regulations . 
the committee on house administration , under chairman ney 's leadership , had a hearing on this topic back last september ; and , at that hearing , several members of congress and of the committee , including myself , actually suggested that the congress needed to step into this process to clarify congress ' intent on this issue instead of leaving it up to federal agencies and the court system . 
congress began this discussion by passing bcra . 
by debating and voting on this bill today , the house will clarify once and for all its intent on this issue . 
mr. speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
