[10665] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
FCC and Electronic Mail (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (James Love)
Fri Mar 4 19:05:31 1994
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 1994 17:04:15 -0500 (EST)
From: James Love <love@essential.org>
To: Telecomreg <telecomreg@relay.adp.wisc.edu>
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
Distributed to TAP-INFO, a free Internet Distribution List
(subscription requests to listserver@essential.org)
TAXPAYER ASSETS PROJECT - INFORMATION POLICY NOTE
(please distribute freely)
SIGNATURES NEEDED FOR LETTER
ASKING THAT INTERNET BE USED TO BROADEN
DEMOCRATIC DEBATE OVER FCC PROCEEDING
ver. 1.2
The following is a letter that will be sent to Reed Hundt, the
Chair of the FCC, asking that the FCC use the Internet to broaden
democratic participation in FCC proceedings. Specifically, Hundt
is asked to 1) set up listserves for discussions of FCC
rulemakings and inquiries, 2) accept public comments by
electronic mail, and 3) provide easier access to the new FCC.GOV
internet node.
If you are willing to sign the letter, send the following
information to Michael Ward of the Taxpayer Assets Project at:
Internet: TAP@ESSENTIAL.ORG
Fax: 202/234-5176
Postal: P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
Voice: 202/387-8030
Name: _________________________
Affiliation: _________________________
(Optional, will be listed as: for purposes of identification
only)
Postal Address:__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
Voice: __________________________
Internet: __________________________
We are hoping to close out this letter by March 14, 1994.
jamie
--------------------------------------------
March 15, 1994
Honorable Reed Hundt
Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
1919 M Street, Room 814
Washington, D.C. 20554
Dear Chairman Hundt:
We are writing to ask that you use the Internet to broaden
opportunities for democratic participation in FCC proceedings.
We applaud the FCC for its recent announcement that it has
established FCC.GOV as an Internet node, and that the FCC Daily
Digest is now available for free by ftp from FCC.GOV. We were
also pleased that you have asked the FCC staff to examine methods
and procedures for accepting comments on FCC dockets
electronically.
The measures discussed below would build on your efforts, and are
intended to make it easier and less costly for citizens to follow
the FCC's work.
1. The FCC should provide Internet electronic mail discussion
"lists" on all FCC rulemakings and inquiries. Citizens
should be able to sign up for a proceeding by sending a
message to the FCC.GOV listserve, with a simple message such
as "subscribe pcs-auction-rules-93-253."
These Internet discussion lists use today's technology to
empower citizens, by enhancing their ability to follow
important policy debates. In an Internet discussion list, a
citizen can send a message to the FCC listserve, and that
message will be echoed to every subscriber on the list. The
persons receiving the message will have an opportunity to
respond, and a real dialogue can take place. As discussions
and debates on the Internet email lists unfold, citizens
will have opportunities to gain a much deeper understanding
of the issues raised in the proceedings, and how they will
be affected by the FCC's actions.
2. In considering methods for accepting comments from the
public in FCC dockets, the Commission should provide
citizens the opportunity to file comments via electronic
mail which is gatewayed through the Internet. These
comments should be separate from the dialogue on the
discussion lists, and reflect the commentors final views on
the subject matter. Several federal agencies now provide
opportunities to file comments by electronic mail. For
example, OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
(OIRA), began accepting comments on its Circular A-130 by
electronic mail in 1992.
3. As you have already indicated, it will be important that the
FCC take steps to ensure that the use of electronic
communications is consistent with the legal requirements
that the public record be complete and accessible. We
understand that the Commission will have to devise ways of
ensuring that this broadened public dialogue becomes part of
the public record and is in compliance with the
Administrative Procedure Act. The Commission should make
these comments available to the public both online and
through the FCC's reading room.
4. Many citizens can access the Internet via electronic mail,
but do not have access to ftp or gopher technologies. Thus,
it would be very helpful if the FCC.GOV would provide an
"email ftp" service for obtaining files from FCC.GOV, as
well as an ability to subscribe to the Daily Digest through
electronic mail.
Of all the vaunted promises of the information superhighway, the
most important is that new information technologies provide
opportunities to enhance democratic processes. One of the most
important and valuable aspects of the Internet has been its role
in restoring civic discourse on a wide range of issues. By
adopting these recommendations, the FCC will gain a deeper
understanding of the opportunities for enhanced democratic
discourse, and it will broaden citizen opportunities to
participate in debates over FCC policies.
Sincerely,
James Love, Taxpayer Assets Project
Jeff Chester, Center for Media Education
Marc Rotenberg, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
Jerry Berman, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Brad Stillman, Consumer Federation of America
Andy Schwartzman, Media Access Project
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