FCC Reform: Changing the Institution

April 3, 2008
Noon to 2:00pm Eastern
Brown Bag Luncheon and Teleconference
ABA Washington Office – 740 15th Street NW, 9th Fl, Washington, DC

With a new President and Congress to be elected this fall, and “change” one of this year’s dominant campaign themes, this program will examine institutional reform at the Federal Communications Commission. A panel of experts will discuss possible changes ranging from major structural reorganizations, such as relocating the FCC’s policymaking functions to the Executive Branch and making the FCC more like the FTC, to less drastic but nevertheless significant ones, such as consolidating the Mass Media, Wireline, and Wireless bureaus into a new Broadband bureau and reforming the FCC’s rulemaking, merger review, and ex parte processes.

Panelists:

John Duffy, Professor, George Washington University School of Law, Washington, DC

Sam Feder, Partner, Jenner & Block, FCC General Counsel (2005-2008), Washington, DC

Andrew Schwartzman, President, Media Access Project, Washington, DC

Joe Waz, Vice President of External Affairs and Public Policy Counsel, Comcast Corporation, Philadelphia, PA

Moderator:
Randolph May, President, The Free State Foundation, Potomac, MD