On the recordMay 30, 2012
I thank the gentleman, and I do rise to support the Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act. It's a commonsense piece of legislation, much like Mr. Walden's process reform bill for the FCC that was passed in this House in March on a bipartisan vote. The FCC Consolidated Reporting Act, as Mr. Scalise said, will streamline eight annual and triennial FCC reports into one single biennial communications marketplace report. The effect is to ease some of the reporting obligations while providing the FCC a better platform to analyze the converged nature of today's competitive communications marketplace. It's important to get the reporting in check because the FCC has control over one-sixth of our Nation's economy. This legislation would simply bring back some efficiency and transparency to an agency that is clearly lacking in both categories. We need to redirect the FCC away from its antiquated approach to regulatory policymaking. A streamed and consolidated reporting system that better reflects today's competitive marketplace is necessary to help in this process, especially for those who understand that we need wholesale change and deregulation at the Nation's leading communications governing agency. I support the legislation to simplify the FCC's reporting measures. I encourage my colleagues to support the legislation.
