Chamber of Digital Commerce Gives Bitcoin Fresh Lobbying Voice

Watch out, U.S. Chamber of Commerce—you now have a Bitcoin-savvy namesake.

Last week, the Chamber of Digital Commerce, a lobbying group for the crypto-currency industry, launched in Chicago with the goal of giving the Bitcoin movement a consistent voice in Washington.

The new group’s president, Perianne Boring, is a former congressional staffer, beauty pageant contestant (really  (opens in a new tab)), and “Russia Today” host (also really  (opens in a new tab)). As a blogger for Forbes  (opens in a new tab) on digital currency issues, she became a noted voice in support of Bitcoin.

Speaking at the North American Bitcoin Conference (NABC) last week, Boring underlined the role the Chamber of Digital Commerce could have in building the currency’s international presence by boosting its lobbying game. She said the organization would create two boards focused on crafting “smart regulation for the industry.”

“I believe that the legislation that comes out of Washington will be echoed around the world,” she said, according to CoinDesk  (opens in a new tab).

What About the Bitcoin Foundation?

While the new group brings a new voice to the table, it also raises an obvious question for observers: What does this mean for the trade group that’s already around?

“We’re not related to the Bitcoin Foundation,” @PerianneDC  (opens in a new tab) says of her new lobbying group, the Chamber of Digital Commerce #bitcoinchicago  (opens in a new tab)

— CoinDesk (@CoinDesk) July 19, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

Simple answer: It’s not a competition. In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal  (opens in a new tab), Boring had suggested launching the Chamber of Digital Commerce as a subsidiary of the Bitcoin Foundation, only to be rebuffed but encouraged to build it herself. (Both groups are classified as 501(c)(6) nonprofits.)

The foundation, meanwhile, has not strictly focused on lobbying in the past, though it is now working with an outside firm, Thorsen French Advocacy.

Considering the difficult press the foundation has faced this year, industry sites such as CoinTelegraph argue  (opens in a new tab) that it may have been best for the new group to start fresh.

(iStock Editorial/Thinkstock)