House Commerce Approves Plan for FCC, FTC, NTIA Oversight

have been eyeing more rigorous oversight of the FCC and broadband now that they're in the majority (see 2210310073). The plan calls for FCC oversight that will include “efforts to reverse the reclassification” of broadband “as a telecommunications service subject to” Communications Act Title II “and efforts to bring transparency and accountability to the Commission’s processes.” House Commerce “will continue to conduct oversight of the FCC’s decisions and their impact on innovation and the U.S. economy,” including “the impact generally of FCC actions on voice, video, audio, and data services, public safety, broadband mapping, and security of our networks,” the plan said. The committee “will also focus its oversight efforts on the Commission’s administration of” the Affordable Connectivity Program and Emergency Connectivity Fund “and investigate … cases of waste, fraud, and abuse.” NTIA oversight will focus on the agency’s “administration of broadband grant programs created” in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act “and efforts to bring transparency and accountability to NTIA’s processes,” the plan said. House Commerce “will also look into NTIA’s authorities and determine whether NTIA needs additional authorities to keep pace with the advancement of modern technology and the advancement of the communications marketplace.” FTC oversight will include examining “the impact of its decisions and actions on the general public and the business community, with a particular focus on how the FTC conducts its business while not creating undue burdens for legitimate businesses, its determination of priorities, and the need, if any, for refinement of its authorities,” the plan said. House Commerce “will explore the FTC’s role relative to emerging technologies and sectors of the economy. Additionally, the Committee will examine how the agency is utilizing specific bureaus, or lack thereof, including the Bureau of Economics, while pursuing enforcement and regulatory action." There's "this overwhelming sense that government is making lives harder for people," said House Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. "Our oversight work will inform how we hold the Biden administration accountable." The committee "will do the hard work of reclaiming Congress’s Article I authority to reauthorize expired programs that are running on autopilot," she said. Although "there are some areas that are ripe for bipartisan collaboration, I’m disappointed to say that this Republican” oversight plan “outlines clear intentions to undermine the tremendous progress we made last Congress,” said House Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J.