,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eci  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,february #f1 #bjac  
,ms4 ,eshoo 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,shimkus1
 and ,mr4 ,doyle7 introduced the        
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend the ,communications
 ,act of #aicd to authorize a bipartisan
 majority of ,commissioners of the      
,federal ,communications ,commission to 
hold nonpublic collaborative            
discussions1 and for other purposes4    
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,federal ,communications        
,commission ,collaboration ,act of      
#bjac4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds   
the following3  7#a7 ,commissioners of  
the ,federal ,communications ,commission
 7in this section referred to as the    
,commission71 past and present1 have    
stated that1 while they support the     
intent of section #eeb;b of title #e1   
,united ,states ,code1 the              
implementation of that section has      

hindered the ability of the ,commission 
to have a substantive exchange of ideas 
and hold collective deliberations on    
issues pending before the ,commission4  
7#b7 ,the principal purpose of ,congress
 in creating a multimember agency is to 
obtain the benefits of collegial        
decisionmaking by the members of the    
agency1 who bring to the decisionmaking 
process different philosophical         
perspectives1 experiences1 and areas of 
expertise4  7#c7 ,commissioners have    
relied primarily on an inefficient      
combination of written messages1        
communications among staff1 and a series
 of meetings restricted to #b           
,commissioners at each such meeting to  
discuss complex telecommunications      
matters pending before the ,commission4 
7#d7 ,extensive use of such methods of  
communication has harmed collegiality   
and cooperation at the ,commission4     
7#e7 ,numerous regulatory matters have  
been pending before the ,commission for 
years1 and continued inaction on these  

issues has the potential to hinder      
innovation and private investment in the
 domestic communications industry4  7#f7
 ,the ,commission must be able to work  
more collaboratively and efficiently    
than in the past to meet the current    
challenge of expanding broadband        
,internet access to the extent necessary
 to serve the business1 educational1    
health1 and cultural needs of all people
 in the ,united ,states4  #c4 ,nonpublic
 collaborative discussions of the       
,federal ,communications ,commission    
,section #d of the ,communications ,act 
of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #aed7 is amended
 by adding at the end the following3    
7p7 ,nonpublic collaborative discussions
  7#a7 ,definitions ,in this subsection3
  7,a7 ,agency action ,the term agency  
action has the meaning given the term in
 section #eea of title #e1 ,united      
,states ,code4  7,b7 ,bipartisan        
majority of ,commissioners ,the term    
bipartisan majority of ,commissioners   
means a group of not less than #c       

,commissioners that includes--  7i7 for 
each political party of which any       
,commissioner is a member1 not less than
 #a ,commissioner who is a member of    
that political party2 and  7ii7 if any  
,commissioner has no political party    
affiliation1 not less than #a           
unaffiliated ,commissioner4  7#b7       
,nonpublic collaborative discussions    
,notwithstanding section #eeb;b of title
 #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 a bipartisan
 majority of ,commissioners may hold a  
meeting that is closed to the public to 
discuss official business if--  7,a7 a  
vote or any other agency action is not  
taken at the meeting2  7,b7 each person 
present at the meeting is a             
,commissioner1 an employee of the       
,commission1 a member of a joint board  
established under section #daj1 or a    
person on the staff of such a joint     
board2 and  7,c7 an attorney from the   
,office of ,general ,counsel of the     
,commission is present at the meeting4  
7#c7 ,disclosure of nonpublic           

collaborative discussions ,not later    
than #b business days after the         
conclusion of a meeting held under      
paragraph 7#b71 the ,commission shall   
publish on the website of the           
,commission a disclosure relating to the
 meeting that includes--  7,a7 a list of
 the persons who attended the meeting2  
and  7,b7 a summary of the matters      
discussed at the meeting1 except for any
 matters that the ,commission determines
 may be withheld in accordance with     
section #eeb;b7c7 of title #e1 ,united  
,states ,code4  7#d7 ,preservation of   
open meetings requirements for agency   
action ,nothing in this subsection shall
 limit the applicability of section     
#eeb;b of title #e1 ,united ,states     
,code1 with respect to a meeting of     
,commissioners other than a meeting     
described in paragraph 7#b74  4