Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2013
[2] A similar bill was considered and passed by the House during the 112th United States Congress, but failed in the Senate and had little support from the Democrats.[4] The bill would require the FCC to initiate a new rulemaking proceeding every five years to continue its consideration of procedural rule changes.[4] The bill would require the FCC to inform the public about its performance and efficiency in meeting disclosure and other requirements under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including by: (1) publishing on the FCC website its logs for managing FOIA requests and associated fees, (2) releasing decisions to grant or deny requests, and (3) presenting information about the number of FOIA requests received and granted or denied by the FCC in its annual budget estimates and annual performance and financial reports.[4] The bill would require annual reports to Congress on the FCC's performance in conducting its proceedings and meeting the deadlines and guidelines established by this Act.[1] The Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2013 was introduced into the United States House of Representatives on December 9, 2013 by Rep. Greg Walden (R, OR-2).[2] Walden argued that "Americans deserve greater... transparency and accountability from their government," particularly because "an item as controversial as this study made it all the way through the FCC without so much as a commission vote.[2] Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) also argued in favor of the bill because "the FCC is charged with overseeing industries that make up one-sixth of our national economy."[7] AT&T supported the bill with Executive Vice President - Federal Relations Tim McKone saying that its "much needed institutional reforms will help arm the agency with the tools to keep pace with the Internet speed of today's marketplace.