Empowering The Collaborative Citizen In The Administrative State: A Case Study Of The Federal Communications Commission

Abstract

Among the rhetorical themes of the Obama Presidency, none has been more prominent than the call for open, participatory, and collaborative government. The Federal Communication, although not formally bound by the Administration's "Open Government Directive," pledged "to comply voluntarily with its terms and, when possible, to exceed its targets." This article provides a case study of the FCC's first seven months under Chairman Julius Genachowski, chronicling the issues facing "an agency in the early throes of institutionalizing open, participatory, and collaborative government." After reviewing the agency's challenges and initiatives in communicating its message, sharing records and data, and facilitating public input, the article briefly speculates on the political conditions necessary to sustain efforts of this intensity.