Formerly Bipartisan FCC Reform Bill Lacks Democratic Representatives

The House Commerce Committee will take up a formerly bipartisan Federal Communications Commission process reform bill with Democratic Representatives no longer on board, according to House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR). He said he hoped Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA) would "rethink her position." According to Chairman Walden, she is planning to introduce her own version of the bill that includes three Democratic bills and a key change. One of Ranking Member Eshoo's primary problems with the bill is that it delays allowing more than two FCC commissioners to meet outside of public meetings until other reforms in the bill are already in place.

Chairman Walden pointed out in a contentious Subcommittee markup on the reform bills that the delay had been part of the bill when it passed the House unanimously last Congress, and felt he had an agreement with Ranking Member Eshoo on the provision. But Democratic Representatives also have issues with Republican Representative amendments, including one that would require the FCC to make public decisions being made on delegated authority 48 hours before the actions were taken and one that would require it to publish drafts of proposed decisions before they are voted. Democratic Representatives have said that latter proposal stemmed from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's decision not to publish a draft of his Title II order, which House Republicans had pressed for. Chairman Walden says the proposed reform predates that. Chairman Walden has said those proposals would not be "burdensome" on the FCC. "We are moving forward on these bills," he said, but "have not been able to get support from our Democratic colleagues," which he said puts them in the box of supporting continued secrecy at the FCC."