House Approves FCC Reform Bill

The House approved by voice vote the Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act of 2012 (HR 3310). That is the broadcaster- and cable-backed bill that would, among other things, require the FCC to conduct a biennial survey of the state of competition in the marketplace that it publishes online and submits to Congress.

The FCC already conducts a quadrennial (originally biennial) reg review. But unlike that process, in this review, the FCC would be required to take into account competition from the Internet. The bill, which was backed by Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Communications Subcommittee Chair Greg Walden (R-OR), would consolidate eight separate congressionally mandated reports into that single report. Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA), who backs the bill, said she supported the bill's effort to reduce reporting burdens and to have the FCC look more comprehensively at the marketplace, particularly with the addition of an amendment that insures the FCC can look at all forms of competition when assessing the marketplace.