The commission’s system of monitoring complaints and punishing violators is flawed, government investigators say. The FCC disagrees.
Summary coverage by CNET.com is here, of a Government Accountability Office report that criticizes the FCC’s response to complaints.
The report itself summarizes the findings in its title: “FCC Has Made Some Progress in the Management of Its Enforcement Program but Faces Limitations, and Additional Actions Are Needed.”
Some interesting findings, as identified by RW:
Of 39,000 closed investigations by the Enforcement Bureau between 2003 and 2006, there were 3,075 involving indecency. Of those, 85 resulted in consent decrees, 11 involved a monetary fine and 2,880 were closed with no action taken.
There were 1,500 or so EAS investigations; of those, 230 produced admonishments or warnings, 53 involved fines, 69 received notices of violation and 1,181 were closed with no action.
The FCC says the report understates or inaccurately reports information about its enforcement record. The GAO report is here. A response letter from the FCC Enforcement Bureau chief is here.
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