Communications Subcommittee Chair Greg Walden (R-OR) plans to keep an eye on the FCC during the course of the 113th Congress, and may make another push to enact his stalled FCC process reform bill.
Walden managed to get his FCC Process Reform Act all the way through the House of Representatives, but the Senate didn’t even give the bill a look.
Walden’s bill is designed to force the FCC to justify its actions and operate in a more transparent manner, but Democratic opponents see it more as an effort to prevent the FCC from doing much of anything.
Even though the bill essentially died in the Senate, Walden believes it may have had an effect on the FCC, inspiring it to behave in a more transparent manner simply because the bill was moving through congressional channels. He says he may take another stab at turning it into law.
Walden also plans to keep close tabs on the FCC’s incentive auction program, saying the need for spectrum and the cash the government may earn from auctioning it off will both continue to rise.
Other potential projects may include taking a new look at both the Cable Act and the Telecommunications Act.
