Recorded political phone calls -- dinner-stoppers in many homes during election season -- can be curbed by Minnesota and other states, according to one draft of an opinion this week by the Federal Election Commission.
But in another draft, the agency declined to issue an opinion, saying disputes over restrictions on automated calls should be left to the courts.
The agency was reacting to a bid by the American Future Fund, a conservative group associated with Republican causes, to override portions of a 1987 Minnesota law that curb "robocalls." The group argued that the restrictions in Minnesota and other states infringe on federal laws overseeing campaign finance. The group is devoting much of its efforts to criticizing the health care proposals of President Obama and Democrats in Congress.
Minnesota requires campaigns to use live operators to introduce automated calls and get the consent of the person answering the phone to play them -- conditions that raise the cost and discourage the practice. Ten states have such restrictions and seven followed Minnesota's lead this fall in challenging the bid by American Future Fund.
The FEC's commissioners are expected to adopt a final advisory opinion in January. PAT DOYLE
