Frederick Carlyle "Rick" Boucher (b. August 1, 1946) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives representing Virginia's 9th Congressional District (map).

Congressman Boucher is a native of Abingdon, Virginia, where he currently lives. He earned his BA from Roanoke College and his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. He has practiced law on Wall Street in New York and in Virginia. Prior to his election to Congress, he served for seven years as a member of the Virginia State Senate.

He was first elected to Congress in 1983. As of 2004, Congressman Boucher is serving his eleventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Judiciary Committee and has been an Assistant Whip since 1985.

Congressman Boucher has been active on Internet-related legislation, including a bill which became law in 1993 authorizing electronic commerce by permitting for the first time the transmission of commercial messages over the Internet. His proposals to promote competition in the cable and local telephone industries contributed to the enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Congressman Boucher originated the House Internet Caucus and is currently its co-chairman. He also created the Digital Media Consumer's Rights Act (DMCRA) legislation and co-authored the Anti-SPAM Act of 2003 .

External links

• Representative Rick Boucher (VA-09)
• Internet and Technology Initiatives
• House Energy and Commerce Committee
• House Judiciary Committee
• THOMAS legislative search engine from the Library of Congress