FCC To Come Under Closer Scrutiny, Senior Hill Aide Says

The FCC under President-elect Obama will face stepped up congressional oversight and increased pressure to create a more open and transparent regulatory environment, Jessica Rosenworcel, a top aide to incoming Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said. She said the agency needs to be more responsive to Congress, conduct fact-finding in a more "neutral" manner, and make itself more accountable to the public. She also recommended the FCC make information it collects more publicly accessible, similar to the way the public can easily access the Transportation Department's databases. But Rosenworcel stopped short of calling for legislation to overhaul the FCC even though Rockefeller recommended doing so during a December 2007 Senate Commerce Committee hearing.