FCC Reform Proposals Advance On The Hill

Greg Walden

Communications and technology subcommittee chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) managed to get all seven bills aimed at improving the Federal Communications Commission’s process and transparency referred to the full energy and commerce committee, according to katyonthehill.com.

Of the seven bills, three were from Republicans, three from Democrats, and one was the FCC Process Reform Act, a bipartisan bill that passed the House last year.

The FCC process reform bills that will be taken up by the full committee when the House returns after the Memorial Day break would among other things, require the FCC to post procedures and policies on its web site, publish rules and orders at the same time they are circulated before an open meeting, publish orders and rules adopted on delegated authority, and publish texts of final orders or reports 24 hours after voted.

“We have seen enough to know the FCC falls short of the standard for a well-run agency,” said Walden, who has made reforming the FCC a top priority.

A bill from Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) that would require the FCC to publish the draft of an order, report or rulemaking when it was circulated by the FCC chair, drew the most fire from Democrats, who saw the bill as retribution for FCC chairman Tom Wheeler’s refusal to publish the net neutrality order before the vote.

Democrats were easily outvoted; all three Republican bills were passed by the subcommittee on party-line votes.