WASHINGTON-House Republicans last week signaled their intention to pursue Federal Communications Commission reform sooner and in a more drastic fashion than envisioned by FCC Chairman William Kennard.
“Five years is simply too long,” said House telecommunications subcommittee Chairman Billy Tauzin at last Tuesday’s hearing. “The time for that [FCC reform] is now.”
Tauzin said telecom lobbyists complain to him privately about the FCC but are afraid to go public with complaints because they fear regulatory retaliation. Kennard said it was his experience that the telecom industry is not shy about telling the FCC what is on its mind.
Kennard told lawmakers the FCC’s five-year strategic plan, a draft of which went to Congress in August, is consistent with the Clinton administration’s program on reinventing government. “I really see this as an evolutionary process,” said Kennard. Overhauling the FCC overnight would bring the agency to a screeching halt, he added.
Kennard said adequate congressional funding and securing authority to offer employees early retirement packages would help reform efforts.
As part of its five-year plan, the FCC last week officially created two bureaus, the Enforcement Bureau and the Consumer Information Bureau. The bureaus become effective Nov. 8.
Given the technological convergence trend, both Kennard and lawmakers agreed that reorganizing bureaus along functional lines made sense for the future.
Tauzin is not expected to introduce an FCC reform bill until next year. Whether he can get legislation through Congress without bipartisan support is unclear. Tauzin also is trying to revamp the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a unit of the Commerce Department that manages federal government spectrum and advises the president on telecom policy
At present, it appears Tauzin lacks Democratic support to overhaul either the FCC or NTIA.
“A radical restructuring of the commission at this time would be counterproductive,”said Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), ranking minority member of the House telecom subcommittee.
Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio), chairman of the FCC reform task force, has forwarded to Tauzin a series recommendations for overhauling the FCC.
“I think this is one of the greatest challenges we have,” said Gillmor.
FCC member Harold Furchtgott-Roth said reorganization is not the end-all. “What matters more is how the FCC follows the law,” he said. In the past, Furchtgott-Roth has criticized the FCC for neglecting to do that during the implementation of the 1996 telecom act.
House Commerce Committee Chairman Thomas Bliley (R-Va.), who recently questioned the FCC, Justice Department and Nextel Communications Inc. about a secret licensing agreement for Nextel to buy mobile phone licenses from bankrupt NextWave Telecom Inc., emphasized FCC deliberations must be open in order to retain public confidence in the agency.
“I will ensure that the FCC remain accountable to this committee,” Bliley said.
In addition to FCC reform, last week’s hearing served as a platform for Republicans to air grievances about universal service, merger review, regulatory delay and cellular customer-service problems.
