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fliptop [soylentnews.org] writes:

Federal Election Commissioner Lee Goodman, who worked to keep online political speech free of federal control, is planning to step down this year [washingtonexaminer.com], saying that he believes the Internet "is a little bit freer and a little bit safer" than when he assumed his position:

"I know that I am looking to depart the agency sometime this year," [Goodman] said in an interview with The Hill [thehill.com]. "I would expect a new cast of at least four commissioners, probably this year."

Goodman, a Republican who joined the agency in 2013, developed a reputation for speaking up [washingtonexaminer.com] when his Democratic colleagues voted to crack down on the Internet and the press. Those included efforts to regulate websites [washingtonexaminer.com] like Twitter, Facebook, and the Drudge Report [washingtonexaminer.com], and one attempt to punish Fox News [washingtonexaminer.com] over the criteria it used for including candidates in a Republican presidential debate.

Goodman said he believes the threat has subsided. This was due in part to President Trump's election as well as the fact that one of his Democratic colleagues, Commissioner Ann Ravel, stepped down at the end of February.

Previously: FCC Commissioner: Feds May Regulate Websites Based on Political Content [soylentnews.org]

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