Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3675, the Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2013, a bipartisan bill aimed at giving the FCC flexibility while promoting openness, transparency and accountability. Two years ago, the House of Representatives considered a very different version of the legislation, one which I opposed and that passed largely on partisan lines. I support the bill before us today because it gives the FCC flexibility to evaluate and adopt procedural changes to its rules, rather than putting rigid requirements in statute. The bill enhances transparency by establishing a publicly available, searchable consumer complaint database and provides the Universal Service Fund (USF) with a short term exemption from the Antideficiency Act. I'm also pleased that the bill includes the FCC Collaboration Act of 2013, a bipartisan bill I introduced last year with Reps. Shimkus and Doyle. For years, current and former FCC Commissioners have called on Congress to pass 'sunshine reform,' so that three or more Commissioners can hold non-public collaborative discussions, as long as no agency action is taken. While I'm disappointed that this provision will not take effect immediately upon enactment, I'm hopeful that the Senate will modify this provision before passing similar legislation. A delay in implementation is the unnecessary delay of a much needed reform.…”