SmallBusinessNewz

The United States House Small Business Committee held a hearing yesterday to discuss possible government regulation for Internet advertising.

Such regulation has been opposed, but according to this article, Congressman Charlie Gonzalez suggested that it may be needed at a later date.

Google was the main focus of the hearing, specifically their recent advertising deal with Yahoo, that led to getting the wheels turning in the government mind that maybe some action needed to be taken.

Witnesses however didn't see it this way and professed their love for Internet Advertising , especially via search engines.

Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) President and CEO Randall Rothenberg was in attendance to "give small interactive publishers a voice".

"Millions of people are making their livings creating and operating Web venues that house well-targeted advertisements, but these entrepreneurs are being threatened by the specter of unnecessary government regulation that would destroy or severely limit their ability to advertise their wares and services online," said Rothenberg before the hearing.

It appears the threat has been evaded for the time being, but from the sound of things, it is not completely gone.

 "Small business Web sites are the Mom & Pop grocery stores of the World Wide Web. Just as the local retailer anchors a geographic community, these sites anchor communities of interest that span towns, cities, states, even nations," said Rothenberg. "They do this with their content and they finance their content through advertising." 

They're safe for now, but this will definitely be an issue to keep an eye on.