Question

Choose one of the bureaucratic agencies listed below. Identify the policy area over which it exercises policy-making discretion AND give one specific example of how it exercises that discretion.

I. -EPA
II. -FCC
III. -Federal Reserve Board

Answer 1

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversees telecommunications and exercises policy-making discretion in matters such as net neutrality, with the Open Internet Order of 2015 serving as a specific example of such discretion.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency that exercises policy-making discretion over telecommunications, which includes radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable communications in the United States.

The FCC implements and enforces laws enacted by Congress, and its policy-making discretion enables it to adapt to technological changes and address issues such as net neutrality, media ownership, and broadcast licensing. A specific example of how the FCC exercises this discretion is through its net neutrality regulations.

In 2015, the FCC adopted the Open Internet Order, which enforced net neutrality rules mandating that all internet service providers treat all data on the internet equally, without discriminating or charging differently based on user, content, website, platform, or application. However, this was later repealed in 2018, demonstrating the FCC's ongoing role in shaping policy in response to public and political pressures.