Government is notorious for moving slowly, but when it comes to adapting to technology, government's pace can be downright troublesome.
Consider Capitol Hill efforts to update Watergate-era laws and Internet-usage rules from the 1990s for use in Congress in the 21st century.
Many members of Congress and their staffs routinely participate in Web 2.0 at YouTube, Digg.com and Facebook, despite the fact that current congressional communication rules do not allow members to post any official communication (i.e., non-campaign material) on a Web site that is not House.gov or Senate.gov.
This means that every senator or representative who uses Web 2.0 sites to communicate with constituents is in violation of the rules, creating a perfect opportunity for an unscrupulous ethics committee chairman to enforce the rules selectively.
To prevent such an occurrence, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, asked the Franking Commission to update the system. (The Franking Commission is a panel of the House Administration Committee and oversees rules on congressional mail and other communications.) In the process, Mr. McCarthy initiated a widespread discussion that shows just how out of touch many political elites are when it comes to the Web.
When he first asked Rep. Michael E. Capuano, Massachusetts Democrat and commission chairman, if it was permissible for him to post YouTube videos on his official congressional site, Mr. McCarthy was told to go ahead and post - and ignore the outdated rules.
But Mr. McCarthy persisted in his questioning, prompting Mr. Capuano and other House Democrats to start considering an update to the regulations. At the same time, their counterparts in the Senate - led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat - also have been drafting a proposal.
It is encouraging to see this process begin, but the current proposals for new rules take several steps in the wrong direction by arbitrarily treating the Web differently than other media.
—Matthew Sheffield is the creator of NewsBusters and its Executive Editor.
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Comments Policy
Of COURSE...
July 31, 2008 - 10:45 ET by q2600...The files are IN the computer!
"Congress Flummoxed by Web
July 31, 2008 - 10:55 ET by jdhawk"Congress Flummoxed by Web 2.0"
Boy, if this isn't nonsense I don't know what is. The dimocrats have nearly the entire media posting via Web 2.0 for them. They hardly need to have the rules changed. And, given that they control both houses, watch them craft new rules that help them further somehow.
Web 2.0 is bullshit
July 31, 2008 - 13:44 ET by PopularTechWikipedia, Digg, Myspace and Facebook are all an absolute waste of time for Congress to bother with. There is a vast difference between using YouTube to organize campaign videos, or wordpress to help create your webpage as opposed to congress getting involved in mob 2.0 AKA user generated content.
I find it scary that they are participating in Digg. I don't want my tax dollars going to that crap! They need to do some real work. I don't want my congressmen wasting their time arguing with some idiot on a Web 2.0 site! There is nothing for them to adopt about Web 2.0, outside of exploiting new web tools for content. So long as the Congressional websites integrate these new tools without sacrificing to the whims of the mob then there is no problem.
Web 2.0 Baloney (John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine)
The Web 2.0 Bullshit Generator
The Anti 'Man-Made' Global Warming Resource