The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been active in the last year in looking at old rules and re-evaluating their underlying logic.  There’s no question the media landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade and it’s worth looking at things in light of the way things are now as opposed to when rules were put in place.  Some of the current rules go back more than 5 decades.

Here’s one procedure the FCC updated that’s caused a fair amount of debate.

When consumers had a complaint about something in the media, they complained to the FCC.  People might complain about “wardrobe malfunctions,” indecent language, or what they considered offensive content.  Whether a complaint was formal, or informal, the commission would investigate and respond.

Under the change, which passed along party-lines, only formal complaints will be investigated, according to The Hill.  Informal complaints may or may not be examined.

In order to make sure the FCC will investigate, consumers will need to file a formal complaint along with a $225 filing fee.

“This is bonkers.  No one should be asked to pay $225 for this agency to do its job.” –  Jessica Rosenworcel, Democrat FCC Commissioner at the hearing (via The Hill)

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