John McCain’s FCC Reauthorzation makes some modest refinements to the agency’s mission. See Broadband Networking Regulatory News for a summary:
Senator John McCain (R, AZ), chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, introduced a “FCC Reauthorization Act of 2003” aimed at reinvigorating the mission of the FCC. McCain said the FCC should be responsible for a wide range of duties, including establishing regulatory policies that promote competition, innovation, and investment in broadband services; ensuring that a comprehensive and sound national competitive framework for communications services exists; encouraging the best use of spectrum domestically and internationally; and providing leadership for the rapid restoration of the nation’s communications infrastructure in the event of disruption.
The full text of the bill is here.
At first blush, it doesn’t seem like a dramatic change, but I’ll analyze it in more detail later.