FCC Report to Examine More Than 100 Recommendations for Process Reform
The FCC got an update Thursday from Diane Cornell, who heads the agency’s process reform team, but she offered few details on what will be recommended in a pending report on various proposals for improving how the agency does business (CD Jan 30 p2). Officials said after the commission meeting a report is likely to be published in about a week. The FCC will ask for public comment on the report, Cornell said. The FCC is also still taking recommendations through its website, she said.
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"This comprehensive process of assimilating and analyzing process reform proposals produced a wide range of suggestions, which the group distilled into well over 100 recommendations for this report,” Cornell said. “Taken together, these recommendations aim to help the FCC staff to work faster, smarter, more efficiently, more transparently and more inclusively.” A number of recommendations focus on the speed of FCC decisionmaking, accountability and transparency, she said. Recommendations include “more systematic timelines for internal review and deliberation,” she said. “Others propose innovations to streamline licensing and internal processes and handle consumer complaints more efficiently.” The FCC posted the slides from the presentation (http://bit.ly/1n1FCan). Among the recommendations will be the consolidation of current FCC databases to a “more centralized, modern IT infrastructure,” she said.
Commissioner Mike O'Rielly asked Cornell whether the reform proposals “taken as a whole” will “result in positive savings.” The focus of the reforms “is overall to make the FCC more efficient,” she responded. “A number of the recommendations concentrate on steps to process matters faster or to eliminate or streamline regulations or procedures that are outdated or no longer necessary.” O'Rielly also noted that many questions have been raised in the past over FCC compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
"As I stated during my first speech as a commissioner, the FCC must become as nimble as the industry we oversee,” said Commissioner Ajit Pai. “Too often, proceedings drag on for years. The American people deserve better. Whether the matter before us involves a Fortune 500 company, a small startup, a public interest group, or an individual consumer, the commission should strive to respond promptly. Parties might not like the answer that we give them. But they deserve an answer.” Pai called for greater agency transparency. “We need to make it easier for the public to measure our progress, and if necessary, hold our feet to the fire if we falter,” he said. “Let’s create an FCC Dashboard on our website that collects in one place our key performance metrics.”
"While there always will be room for improvement, this agency can and should be proud of its record of performance and production, amidst some incredibly challenging sets of conditions,” said Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “We continued our work during times when human and financial resources were stretched thin, and our capacity restrained."
<>"The report that you have forthcoming challenges us to do many things to follow on,” said Chairman Tom Wheeler. “It will not be flip a switch and everything is resolved tomorrow.”