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FEDERALhearing transcript
High Impact

Congressional Hearing on FCC Transparency and Rulemaking

Original title: FCC: PROCESS AND TRANSPARENCY

January 1, 2015

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing examines the level of public and Congressional access to the decision-making process for federal Internet regulations that impact how service providers manage network traffic.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Federal Communications Commission

The agency is the subject of the oversight hearing regarding its internal rulemaking procedures.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

The committee is exercising its authority to investigate the transparency of an executive branch agency.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2015.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing to investigate the FCC's rulemaking process regarding new Internet regulations. Chairman Jason Chaffetz criticized FCC Chairman Thomas Wheeler for failing to release draft rules for public comment prior to a vote, contrasting this with the more transparent process used by the FCC in 2007.

Key Facts

  • The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on March 17, 2015, to review FCC transparency.
  • The FCC approved new Internet regulation rules in February 2015.
  • Chairman Chaffetz stated that the public did not have access to the text of the new Internet rules until one week before the vote.
  • Chairman Chaffetz compared the 2015 process unfavorably to the 2007 media ownership rule changes, where draft text was released for a 4-week public comment period.
  • Chairman Chaffetz alleged that FCC Chairman Thomas Wheeler declined an invitation to appear before the committee prior to the vote.
  • The committee alleged that the FCC has been concealing certain communications from the public.

Why It Matters

This hearing examines the level of public and Congressional access to the decision-making process for federal Internet regulations that impact how service providers manage network traffic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was this hearing held?
The committee held the hearing to investigate concerns regarding the lack of transparency in the FCC's process for creating new Internet regulations.
What is the main criticism of the FCC's process?
The committee chair argued that the FCC failed to release draft rules for public review and comment before voting on them, which he claimed deviated from past agency precedents.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Change in Rulemaking Transparency

The committee highlights a perceived shift in FCC transparency standards between 2007 and 2015 regarding the release of draft rules for public comment.

Connected Entities

organizationHouse Committee on Oversight and Government ReformThe committee conducting the hearingMap →
personThomas WheelerChairman of the Federal Communications CommissionMap →
personKevin MartinFormer FCC ChairmanMap →
organizationFederal Communications CommissionThe federal agency responsible for regulating interstate and international commuMap →
personJason ChaffetzChairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government ReformMap →
personBarack ObamaFormer U.S. Senator and PresidentMap →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy80
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment40
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

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