Brain Drain, Admin Failures Threaten the FCC's Role

coondoggie writes "The Federal Communications Commission has brain drain and administration problems that could decrease its effectiveness at a time when advanced service technologies such as wireless and broadband present significant regulatory challenges. On the brain drain front, a report out today (PDF) from watchdogs at the Government Accountability Office stated that from fiscal year 2003 to 2008, the number of engineers at the FCC decreased by 10%. Similarly, the overall number of economists decreased by 14%. While the total number of engineers and economists in the workforce has decreased from 2003 to 2008, the percentages remained the same. The GAO also criticized the FCC's public comment policy, saying, 'While FCC relies heavily on public input to inform its decisions, it tends to do so without giving the public access to the actual text of a given proposal. If parties are able to submit vague summaries that may not fully reflect meetings between FCC officials and outside parties, then stakeholders will continue to question whether commission decisions are being influenced by information that was not subject to public comment or rebuttal and that, in some cases, is submitted just before a commission vote.'"

Comments

"Republicanism" at work.

[Anonymous Coward]

This is just another case of "Republicanism" (that is, the stupidity inherent to the Republican Party in the USA, and to a lesser extent the Democratic Party) at work. The FCC is rife with it and people who support that attitude, after eight years of Republican rule. Not that the Democrats help the situation much, mind you.

Scientists, engineers, technologists, economists, and anyone with even the slightest bit of a brain just don't want anything to do with the typical Republican attitude, especially when it is so pro-religion, pro-"morality" and anti-knowledge. If you had to face Republicanism day in and day out at your job, you'd want to bail as quickly as possible, too.

Re:"Republicanism" at work.

[Jawn98685]

Mod parent "Troll"...
Sorry, pal, but Tipper's anti-obscenity campaign was a pale shadow compared to the puritanical bullshit that has managed to influence so much government policy ever since "The Moral Majority" came to power in the eighties. The remnants of that influence, which was arguably at it's zenith during the previous president's administration (search "Department of Justice" and "Liberty University"), remain strong in many departments of the federal government. That reasonable people quit in disgust is hardly surprising.

Re:Hmm

[Archangel Michael]

Yeah, it is the same FCC which will enforce the other "Puritan" view called .... "Fairness Doctrine".

And yes, I agree, stick to regulating the wavelengths and not what rides on them.