FEC to hold hearing on internet disclaimers Wednesday, June 27, and Thursday, June 28, 9:30 a.m.

 WASHINGTON – On June 27, the Commission will convene a two-day public hearing on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding internet disclaimers and the definition of “public communication.” The NPRM contains proposals to amend Commission regulations concerning disclaimers on public communications on the internet that contain express advocacy, solicit contributions, or are made by political committees. The Commission has received over 165,800 public comments and signatories to others’ comments on the NPRM, which are available here. 

Eighteen individuals are scheduled to testify at the two-day hearing. The witnesses (with links to their or their organizations’ comments) are:

• Allen Dickerson, Legal Director, Institute for Free Speech
  
• Brendan Fischer, Director, Federal Reform, Campaign Legal Center
  
• Paul S. Ryan, Vice President, Policy & Litigation, Common Cause
  
• Ilya Shapiro, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute
  
• Dave Grimaldi, Executive Vice President, Public Policy, Interactive Advertising Bureau
  
• Joseph Jerome, Policy Counsel, Center for Democracy & Technology
  
• Young Mie Kim, Ph.D., Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin
  
• Berin Szóka, President, TechFreedom
  
• Dan Backer, Counsel, Coolidge-Reagan Foundation
  
• Victor E. Bernson, Jr., Vice President and General Counsel, Americans for Prosperity
  
• Craig Holman, Ph.D., Government Affairs Lobbyist, Public Citizen
  
• Ian Vandewalker, Senior Counsel, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice
  
• Christine Bannan, Administrative Law and Policy Fellow, Electronic Privacy Information Center
  
• Doug Hochberg, Chief Digital Officer, Republican National Committee
  
• Chris Nolan, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Spot-On
  
• Theodore Peterson, Digital Director, NRCC
  
• Thomas Reiker, Deputy Digital Director, NRSC
  
• Carmen Scurato, Vice President, Policy & General Counsel, National Hispanic Media Coalition, on behalf, also, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Color of Change
  

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on June 27 and will be held at the Commission’s new headquarters at 1050 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. The full agenda is here: https://www.fec.gov/updates/june-27-28-2018-public-hearing/.

Seating in the hearing room is limited and journalists are encouraged to let the Press Office know ahead of time if they are coming and what equipment they will bring. All attendees will be required to undergo a security screening. Please plan to arrive 30-45 minutes early and bring a government-issued photo ID to ensure a smooth security screening.  Further information regarding the NPRM and hearing logistics is available here.