House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) Monday praised Republican Commissioner Michael O'Rielly's call last week for publishing the text of FCC proposals before they are voted.
Currently the chairman circulates the item among the commissioners, but they are not supposed to share them with anyone outside the commission, including the stakeholders who are talking to them about what should be in the items.
“Commissioner O’Rielly’s call for increased transparency and better process at the commission could not be more timely,” said Walden in a statement. The congressman has spearheaded an FCC process reform bill, the FCC Process Reform Act, which passed the House last March
He has also recently joined O'Rielly and Republican Commissioner Ajit Pai in criticizing the way in which items have been shared, or not shared, with commissioners and the treatment of proposed edits.
“The commission’s last few open meetings have been marred by bad process and insufficient sharing of information among the commissioners – underscoring the need for reform. With bipartisan support, the House approved FCC process reform legislation in March. But despite its unanimous passage through the House, this commonsense legislation has hit a roadblock in the Senate," he said.
The Senate is out until September, so there won't be much time to act on that bill before the legislators turn their focus on trying to keep their jobs in the midterm elections.
