House Republicans jockey for the reins: Regulating online ad companies

House Republicans are vying for the reins in one of the few areas where regulating is still in style: online privacy.

House Energy and Commerce Trade Subcommittee Chair Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) put out a release on Thursday indicating that her panel "has the lead on privacy matters."

"Even though we live in a nation where freedom is paramount, we have a responsibility, as policymakers, to protect those who are unable to protect themselves," Bono Mack said. 

Her subcommittee will take up the issue this Spring, she said, indicating a particular interest in child protection measures. 

But other House Republicans are not willing to cede their role in the privacy debate just yet. 

Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) said shortly after Bono Mack's statement: "When I was Chairman of that subcommittee, I conducted the most extensive series of hearings on privacy."

He indicated he is currently working on privacy legislation, as he did in the last Congress and in previous years. 

Stearns noted he is a member of the Trade subcommittee. He is also chairman of the Oversight subcommittee. 

He added: "I look forward to working with Chairwoman Bono on the issue of online privacy." 

Bono Mack circulated a "dear colleague" earlier this year indicating her view that privacy is a critical topic for this Congress.