FreedomWorks Sends Letter to Capitol Hill

Download a .pdf of the letter (.pdf)

September 15, 2008

Dear House Financial Services Committee Member:

On behalf of FreedomWorks’ 500,000 grassroots activists across the country, I urge you
to support H.R. 6870, “The Payments System Protection Act of 2008.” This legislation
addresses some of the ambiguities associated with the Unlawful Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act, (UIGEA) and in doing so, strengthens internet freedom. Although the
UIGEA was passed to halt unlawful internet gambling, its vague language makes it
difficult for banks and payments to comply with the law.

It is important to avoid efforts to expand the reach of federal regulators over the internet
through ambiguous legislation such as the UIGEA. This law requires banks and payment
centers to block transactions associated with unlawful internet gambling, but provides no
definition of exactly what comprises “unlawful internet gambling.” Consequently, not
only do banks and payment centers have to comply with the law, they also have to define
the law as they go. This creates significant new burdens associated with recordkeeping
and information tracking, while also creating new costs for consumers and threatening
online privacy. Wary of not complying with the law, many legal transactions may be
denied just to avoid the possibility that they were unlawful.

The internet should be free, and transactions and activities on the internet should not be
monitored by a bureaucrat. This is why I am supporting HR 6870, “The Payments
System Protection Act of 2008.” The proposed changes would outlaw internet sports
betting, which the courts have made clear is illegal. They would also require regulators
to provide a clear, precise definition of “unlawful internet gambling” that would avoid
imposing unnecessary costs on online transactions, while providing banks and payment
centers more accurate guidance on conforming with the law. The internet has triggered a
technological revolution as significant as the industrial revolution.

It is imperative to promote internet freedom and continual innovation in cyberspace.
Unnecessary or ill-defined government mandates can hamper this process. Please
support HR 6870 and keep the internet free of costly mandates and excessive government
regulation.

Sincerely,

Dick Armey
Chairman, FreedomWorks