Congress' New Appreciation for Transparency Shouldn't Be Limited to the FCC
WASHINGTON — On Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Communications & Technology will convene a hearing to consider three draft bills on transparency at the Federal Communications Commission. Rep. Anna Eshoo describes the bills as "political retribution for the FCC's Net Neutrality rules."
Free Press Action Fund Policy Director Matt Wood made the following statement:
"These bills are at best incomplete attempts to improve transparency, and at worst efforts to hamstring the FCC's ability to protect the public interest.
"We should question the sincerity of legislators who single out a particular federal agency instead of making comprehensive proposals for administrative procedural reform. It's especially suspect when such agency-specific concerns materialize out of thin air only when some members of Congress are unhappy with that agency's decisions.
"The subcommittee's press release says that more transparency is always better. So I look forward to knowing more about who's lobbying members of Congress before these kinds of bills and discussion drafts are introduced. In some respects, the FCC's current process is far and away more transparent than anything Congress does. Anyone can look at the FCC ex parte record to learn both who's meeting with the Commission and what they're saying.
“This unqualified praise and enthusiasm for transparency should apply to the legislative branch, too. In their sudden zeal for openness and accountability, subcommittee members should take a hard look at their own practices."
