Looking at the FCC

By Brad

Via Brendan Sasso of The Hill, the House Energy and Commerce Committee is set to tackle FCC reform in the coming weeks:

The legislation would require the FCC to identify a market failure, consumer harm or regulatory barrier before adopting new regulations. The agency would have to then demonstrate that the benefits of its proposed regulations outweigh their costs. The bills would codify the FCC’s informal “shot clock” for its reviews so parties could know when to expect decisions.

The bills would also restrict the types of conditions that the FCC could impose on corporate mergers, only allowing the agency to address specific harms related to the proposed deals. Some lawmakers criticized the FCC for requiring Comcast to make commitments, such as offering channels aimed at racial minorities, to receive approval for its purchase of NBC Universal last year.