Chairman Ajit Pai has announced an initiative to increase transparency within the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
According to a press release issued in early February by the FCC, the pilot program involves releasing to the public the full text of two documents that the Commission will consider at its next Open Meeting, scheduled for February 23rd. This effort differs from current Commission practice, in which documents are shared exclusively with Commissioners, and released to the public only after action by the Commission.
The FCC says that the public release of these two documents will serve as a test case, with the expectation that, in the future, documents will routinely be released simultaneously to both Commissioners and the general public.
In the press release, Chairman Pai stated his belief that the program would help lead to a better understanding by the public of the decision-making process at the FCC. “We believe that releasing these documents—rather than keeping them behind close doors until after our vote—will increase the public’s understanding of our decision-making process, and result in final rules that better serve the public interest,” said Pai.
Read the text of the FCC press release regarding its pilot program to increase transparency within the FCC.
