I recently provided an update on the ongoing activities throughout the FCC to tackle the process reform recommendations from the Staff Working Group’s Report on FCC Process Reform from early 2014. To complement these activities, a task force has recently been formed that includes representatives from all five Commissioners’ offices at the FCC. The task force will consider ways to improve the effectiveness of the Commission’s internal processes from the Commissioners’ perspective, taking into account views expressed by internal and external stakeholders about the FCC’s internal processes and protocols.
As part of this review, the task force will seek public input from those who regularly interact with the FCC, including consumers, licensees, communications law practitioners, and anyone with an interest in improving the FCC’s decision-making processes. The task force will also review the practices of other similarly situated agencies to compare their operations with those at the FCC.
Topics that will be reviewed and considered will include, but are not limited to: (a) the use of delegated authority, and practices for providing notice of matters being handled on delegated authority; (b) procedures for pre-vote circulation of Commission-level matters; (c) procedures associated with editing Commission decisions; (d) practices to encourage efficient Commission decision-making, such as the Consent Agenda; (e) approaches for providing increased transparency of FCC procedures and protocols, and (f) practices to track, disclose and encourage prompt Commissioner votes on items on circulation.
Working with the Commissioners, the Congress, and the public, we believe we can make tangible improvements in our FCC processes so that we better serve American consumers and businesses. The task force is focused on results – through recommendations and actions – that will improve our decision-making process. To help us with identifying actionable recommendations, we invite comment on the topics listed above, or any other topics related to this effort. Comments can be submitted to this e mail address: ProcessReform2015@FCC.gov.
We appreciate your interest and assistance in helping the FCC to continue to evolve the means by which it delivers upon its mission.