Internet Free Speech Protection Act of 2006

H.R. 4900, the Internet Free Speech Protection Act of 2006, was designed to exempt most online activities and communications from the strict regulations and reporting requirements of the Federal Election Campaign Act. The bill aimed to protect individual citizens, bloggers, and online commentators from being classified as political committees or being forced to file financial disclosures when expressing political opinions online.

Under this legislation, typical internet activities—such as hosting a website, starting a political blog, or participating in online discussion forums—would not count as regulated "public communications" or campaign expenditures, provided the individual spent less than $5,000 annually on those activities. Additionally, the bill sought to ensure that online news and commentary received the same legal protections as traditional media outlets, preventing the government from regulating independent digital speech as campaign activity.