Congress Wants to Allow New Web Tools

Publication: National Journal's Technology Daily

Aliya Sternstein
December 13, 2007

Congress is slowly moving ahead with rule changes that would allow House members and senators to enhance their Web sites with links and content from commercial sites, like social networks and video-sharing services.

Creating reasonable and effective guidelines for emerging Web technologies is "a significant priority" for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., according to Kyle Anderson, the House Administration Committee's spokesman. He said the committee "has responded to her request to make this issue a priority." The committee anticipates implementing a series of policies within the next six months.

Options under consideration include permitting members to use video-streaming sites if the sites are ad-free and protect the uploaded material from tampering. The committee wants parameters that are "dynamic enough to remain relevant over time," Anderson said.

In August, GOP committee members presented draft provisions for allowing external content, like news feeds and social-bookmarking. Links to outside content would be permitted to display company logos for recognition purposes but would have to use "jump pages" to alert visitors that they are leaving a house.gov site.

Salley Collins, the spokeswoman for the committee's Republican members, said minority members are "eagerly awaiting a response" from the majority side.

Anderson said the panel continues to review the feasibility of several member proposals "while developing operational guidelines that are much broader and applicable across the entire House."

After learning of the committee's plans, Collins said, "If 'significant priority' means waiting five months only to declare that they hope to resolve the issue within the next six months, then we probably shouldn't expect a resolution anytime soon." In May, the Open House Project -- a Sunlight Foundation initiative to help the House embrace the Internet -- recommended that Congress "re-evaluate" Web restrictions that "prevent members from connecting with their constituents online." Report co-author David All, a Republican online strategist, said of the suggested exit messages on member Web sites: "Citizens understand the Internet far better than Congress and understand that the Internet is not a captive marketplace. I would strongly encourage the removal of any type of exit page."

Senate Rules and Administration Committee Staff Director Howard Gantman said the Senate also will update its Web regulations within the next year. The basic ground rule is that members cannot use Senate Internet resources for political or commercial purposes, he said.

Gantman said the committee is talking with Web companies to see if member content can be stripped of advertising "so you won't have Sen. Jones and on that same site ... have 'Vote for Jones' or 'Vote for Jones' Opponent' as an ad."

The Senate also is trying to find a means of certifying "official" member content on outside sites. "One of the problems right now is you don't even know who's posted on the YouTube site," Gantman said. "You can go to a number of these sites and someone can pretend to be a member and there's no way [anyone else] would know."