On the recordJanuary 23, 2017
I am pleased to support H.R. 290, a bill to reform the FCC, sponsored by the chair of the full Committee on Energy and Commerce. Mr. Speaker, this bill has a unique history. It has been passed out of the House not once or twice, but four times already in the last three Congresses. The last three times this bill has come to the floor, it has passed on suspension with full bipartisan support. That support speaks to the deep necessity for fundamental reform of the Federal Communications Commission. As Members of Congress, we hear from constituents whose applications at the FCC are left to languish unresolved while consumers and businesses let opportunities slip by because they haven't received approval yet from a Federal Government agency. It is even worse when the FCC, under its public interest mandate, decides to put its thumb on the scale in favor of one technology sector or another, often without providing reasonable evidence that its intervention is necessary and appropriate. While I have faith that Chairman Pai will bring about real reform at the FCC, without legislative changes, I am afraid that this type of jury-rigged rulemaking will return under a future administration. That is why I have supported this bill each time it has made its way through our committee and each time it has come to the House floor.…
