FCC Economics Office Set to Launch; Rosenworcel Wants Peer Review, Transparency
The FCC said it received all approvals needed to launch its Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA). Giulia McHenry, who recently joined the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis from NTIA where she was chief economist, will be acting…
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chief, the FCC said Thursday. OEA is to open by year's end, the agency said. The FCC approved the office in January over dissents by Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and then-Commissioner Mignon Clyburn (see 1801300026). The agency then filed its plans with the Office of Management and Budget and with the employee union. “We are in the final stages,” Chairman Ajit Pai said Thursday. Under the agreement with the union, “we are committed to helping all FCC employees involved make a smooth transition to the new office.” About 100 employees from bureaus and offices across the agency will staff the OEA, the commission said. Rosenworcel said Thursday the OEA's work must include peer review. “It is unacceptable that so much of the recent economic work of this agency was not subject to any standard of peer review,” she said: “Rigorous peer review of scientific and economic work has been encouraged and even required” since President George W. Bush's administration. Rosenworcel said transparency is critical. “The FCC needs to be honest about how much of the economic data presented to it is advocacy,” she said. "We must avoid the risk of relying on numbers masquerading as fact when they simply add up to an effort to champion a desired outcome.” Having "worked hard” on OEA, Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said he will be “particularly focused on ensuring that the Office ramps up the FCC’s cost-benefit analysis and provides sufficient input prior to items’ consideration.” He looks forward to a proceeding on criteria for such analyses.