Bloomberg BNA:

President Obama’s top campaign lawyer, Robert Bauer, is pressing the Federal Election Commission to approve quickly a new advisory opinion that could encourage wireless companies to allow campaign contributions by text messaging….

The FEC is set to discuss the issue at an Aug. 2 commission meeting, but a vote on a new advisory opinion is not expected at the meeting. Further action by the commission could come in the days or weeks after the meeting, according to FEC officials….

According to memos filed by the FEC commissioners documenting “ex parte communications,” Bauer called the FEC’s three Democratic commissioners plus the commission’s Republican chairwoman, Caroline Hunter, in late July to urge prompt action. A memo from Democratic FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said Bauer “stated his concern” that if the commission did not respond quickly, campaigns would not be able to receive contributions via text messaging before this year’s presidential and congressional elections are over.