American regulator moving ahead with reform following consultations with public

The Federal Communications Commission, much like the CRTC, has been going through self-examination to decide how to better serve its constituents. Mary Beth Richards, special counsel to FCC chair Michael Powell, delivered this status report earlier this month. Here is an abridged version of her remarks, which began by discussing industry and public submissions. The suggestions broke down generally along the following lines: Get rid of out of date regulationsTimeliness Predictable and uniform timetableSpeed assignments and transfers of control Speed decision making and get rid of backlogsSpeed the release and publication of decisionsElectronic Access - put as much as possible online and make it easy to find and useIncrease the number of engineers and improve our technical resourcesIncrease the training available to all staff, andRestructure the agency to recognize changing functions. I am pleased to report that staff throughout the agency has been busy implementing the reform initiatives and have made great strides in a number of areas. The first prong of the business plan deals with a clear substantive policy vision. The Commission's substantive work involved in migrating to a digital broadband future is the cornerstone of the agency's day-to-day operations. I will report on only a few of the policy-related projects taking place in the reform area. Suggestions here involved getting rid of out of date regulations and reconciling the existing rules to the realities of the current market place. The second prong of the plan emphasizes strong management. Effective management is vital. Suggestions in this area included more timely decision making and a robust use of electronic access. Almost everyone suggested we act on old filings and actions. While we have made strides in the backlog reduction area, there are still pockets of some pretty old filings. We have done an inventory of pending actions throughout the Commission, with plans to eliminate the backlogs. Next, we have begun an extensive multi-year project to utilize technology better so as to improve productivity. We will be looking at all the agency's processes and information technology systems. The focus of the project is to identify where changes can be made in the information technology program that would result in high payoffs in terms of improved productivity, better public service, and faster decisions. This is something in which each of the bureaus will participate. The third prong of the business plan involves training, and the advancement of our technical and economic expertise. There was universal approval for this component of the plan. We are developing a comprehensive employee training program to ensure that employees have the training and skill to carry out the public's business efficiently and effectively. A vital component of the reform plan is to improve the agency's technical and economic expertise. Advances in technology are driving the communications revolution. As the expert agency, the Commission must have a strong fluency in the language of technology. Over the last six years, our engineering staff has decreased by more than 20 percent. Within the next four years, 40 percent of our engineering staff will be eligible to retire. We have let our technical equipment and infrastructure languish. The final prong of the business plan deals with looking at the organizational structure of the agency to see whether it is right for the times. Organizational change is difficult. It takes time and requires hard choices. See the complete text at www.fcc.gov/Reports/fcc_reform_091301.html

American regulator moving ahead with reform following consultations with public

News | 09/24/2001 4:00 am EDT

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