FEC Says NO to text message contributions

FEC Shoots Down Proposal For Texted Campaign Contributions - ABC News:

"Federal regulators have recommended against a proposal from the cell phone industry that would've allowed voters to send donations to political candidates via text.

An advisory report from the Federal Election Commission voiced concerns that the program would not adequately 'separate corporate funds from political contributions' and would allow people to exceed the $50 limit for anonymous donations. It left the door open, however, for a new proposal for texted donations, provided it meets certain conditions.

Caleb Burns, a lawyer representing the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), the trade group that submitted the proposal in September, said he was 'disappointed' in the FEC's recent advisory opinion, and that 'CTIA and its members must now assess whether implementing those requirements is economically viable.'

Burns said that the FEC's opinion would place 'additional burdens' on cell phone providers. 'Many of those burdens,' said Burns, 'are regulatory relics that do not account for new technologies or the realities current business and campaign practices.'"