House Communications Subcommittee closing in on FCC reform vote

The House Communications and Technology Subcommittee is readying the first votes on process reform at the Federal Communications Commission since the FCC approved controversial network neutrality rules earlier in 2015. The subcommittee will take up a host of reform bills proposed by both Democrats and Republicans. Republican commissioners on the FCC have taken an active role in FCC oversight since the FCC approved net neutrality rules that would reclassify broadband Internet access under rules governing traditional telephones. Democrats have said many of the Republican reforms seem to be “political retribution” for the net neutrality vote, which is strongly opposed by Republicans and Internet service providers. Many of the GOP proposals harken back to the net neutrality debate. Republicans criticized FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler for not releasing the text of the regulations ahead of the vote and for taking weeks after the vote to finally make it public.

One of the GOP bills would require the FCC to publicly release draft rules ahead of a vote, at the same time commissioners get to see them. Another would force the FCC to publish the finalized rules the day they are approved. The third proposal would require the FCC to publicly list the actions the FCC takes at the staff level. The subcommittee is slated to hold a hearing on the Democratic proposals on May 15, which subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) said make “a lot of sense.” The Committee will also debate the draft FCC Process Reform Act, which has won support from Chairman Walden, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and the subcommittee’s Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA).