FCC process reform, spectrum top year-end agenda for Energy and Commerce

The House Energy and Commerce will vote on legislation to reform processes at the Federal Communications Commission in the coming weeks, the committee announced on Wednesday.

FCC process reform joins legislation to authorize voluntary incentive auctions of spectrum among the committee's top priorities before the end of the calendar year. The telecom subpanel will mark up a spectrum bill on Dec 1.

“Job growth has been our focus from day one of the 112th Congress, and it’s only fitting that we sprint to the finish with a package of bills that will promote economic growth, innovation, and security for American families,” said chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.).

“We are fulfilling our commitment to enact sound public policy on healthcare, energy, communications and technology, and a host of other vital issues that fall under our Energy and Commerce umbrella to promote economic certainty and job growth.”

Noticeably absent from the committee's list of priorities is any mention of data security legislation. Manufacturing subpanel chairman Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) said last month that moving forward on the SAFE Data Act is her top priority; the bill cleared her subcommittee in July.

Telecom subpanel chairman Greg Walden's (R-Ore.) two FCC process reform bills would make it more difficult for the agency to implement new regulations. They would also consolidate the agency's reporting requirements and codify the shot clock used during merger reviews.

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