Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 19:33:20 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <200107112333.TAA11165@mattababy.mit.edu>
From: belmonte@mit.edu (Matthew Belmonte)
To: CapuanoHR8@aol.com
Subject: oppose campaign-reform restrictions on Internet speech

Dear Representative Capuano

I'm concerned about some possibly unintended effects of two bills currently in
Congress, both of which have the noble aim of reforming campaign finance.  Both
the Shays-Meehan bill (HR 2356) and the Ney-Wynn bill (HR 1260) treat targeted
communications on behalf of candidates as campaign contributions.  Though this
treatment would have been appropriate twenty years ago, in the current world of
electronic networking technology it would have a chilling effect on grassroots
activism on the Internet.  The bills are particularly worrisome since they
treat as contributions not only communications made by campaigns themselves,
but also communications from other individuals or institutions that are
`coordinated with' campaign offices.  I hope that you'll help preserve open and
free political discourse on the Internet by blocking these provisions, or by
adding an exemption for Internet-based communications.