The Senate Appropriations Committee offered the FCC more than a...
The Senate Appropriations Committee offered the FCC more than a handful of suggestions on how the commission should focus its resources in the coming year, including political file disclosures, consumer privacy guidelines and landline cramming rules. The committee’s position on…
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FCC policy was included in its draft financial services and general government appropriations bill for FY13 (http://xrl.us/bnbvn7). The committee urged the FCC to implement the USF reform waiver process in a “transparent, timely and equitable manner.” Senate Indian Affairs Committee members recently took issue with the hurdles and cost of the FCC’s waiver process for telecommunications companies that serve native and rural communities (CD June 8 p6). The Appropriations Committee urged the commission to consider changes to its wireline cramming rules by implementing an opt-in requirement for third-party wireline charges rather than its proposed opt-out rules. The draft also suggested that the FCC consider solutions to the problem of cramming on wireless bills. The committee commended the FCC’s requirements for broadcasters’ public inspection files as a means to increase the transparency of campaign advertising purchases. The draft bill urged the commission to work with the FTC to issue guidance on best practices for protecting the privacy of consumer information over wireless networks. The committee directed the FCC to study the privacy policies that govern how major communications companies collect and use personal information online. The bill is awaiting consideration on the Senate floor following committee approval Thursday by a 16-14 vote along party lines (CD June 15 p8).