After 74 Years, FCC Starting To Flex Its Muscles

[Commentary] After 74 years, most Americans have more yesterdays than tomorrows. Does the same hold for the Federal Communications Commission? By many accounts, the FCC is just beginning to flex its muscles. During its first 60 years, the FCC was one of the more obscure federal agencies. In recent years, however, editorial pages — some with praise, some with a tut-tut, and some with uncontrolled hysterics — have commented frequently on FCC decisions, or lack thereof. Politicians are also taking notice, with Congress regularly holding hearings on the FCC in front of large audiences. Just listen to presidential candidates rattle off some of their favorite policies to cure all that ails America: a new press and broadcast ownership policy, a new broadband deployment policy, a new Internet privacy policy, a new Internet content policy, and so on. Our leaders may have differing views of government regulation, but having the FCC fade into the sunset is rarely one of them. An activist central governmental policy toward communications is not an ancient tradition. The structure of government agencies in Washington has changed remarkably little in recent decades. Progress in government likely will not occur through new agencies but more probably by ensuring that existing ones operate predictably and efficiently inside the law. Happy Birthday, FCC!
http://www.nysun.com/business/after-74-years-fcc-starting-to-flex-its-mu...