Social Science Research Council
Toward a Federal Data Agenda for Communications Policymaking
Published on: Mar 13, 2007
The SSRC-sponsored Data Consortium for Media and Communications Policy has prepared a paper entitled "Toward a Federal Data Agenda for Communications Policymaking." The paper outlines some of the key challenges surrounding data collection, access and analysis for media and communications policy in the United States, and makes a number of recommendations for how to address some of the most salient problems in this area. Prepared by Dr. Phil Napoli of the McGannon Center and Joe Karaganis of the SSRC, the paper is the product of several months of consultations and discussions with a wide range of media policy researchers, advocates and policy-makers.
Principal Findings and Recommendations
1. Internal Data Collection
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The FCC is not meeting its existing data collection requirements, either with respect to the scope or reliability of the data collected. Because good data collection is a precondition of sound public policy, the FCC should, at a minimum, improve the gathering and processing of its existing datasets. This effort could begin with Form 323 (dealing with ownership), Form 398 (dealing with children’s educational programming), and Form 477 (dealing with broadband deployment)—each of which bears on key areas of FCC policymaking.
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Data collection has been unreliable in part because reporting requirements are no longer regularly enforced. The FCC should take steps to ensure compliance with these requirements by licensees, including better monitoring and the imposition of penalties for non-compliance.
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Given the importance the FCC has accorded the analysis of competition within individual communications markets, the lack of comprehensive information on the financial state of the outlets under its jurisdiction—especially in regard to revenue data—is a serious problem. The FCC should adjust (and enforce) its reporting requirements to ensure that it possesses this basic information.
2. Content Archiving
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The FCC’s should return to (and update for the internet era) policies that require broadcast licensees to provide a tangible, accessible, and reliable record of station programming and performance. Such materials should be available to the public—online and in aggregated form.
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Longer-term, the FCC should lead the way in establishing a centralized content archive in which all FCC licensees are required to deposit, at a minimum, representative samples of their content output. Such archiving would address the egregious lack of an audio-visual record of American life comparable to the print record, and in the process facilitate the outlet-level and market-level analyses that are becoming increasingly important in policymaking.
3. Third Party Data
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Commercially-owned datasets play a central role in many FCC proceedings, often through studies submitted by third parties. Because commercial licenses are generally expensive and highly restrictive in terms of use, it is often difficult or impossible to scrutinize the data underlying such studies. This situation challenges the integrity of the policymaking process and should be addressed. We propose that any study submitted by a commenting party to a Commission proceeding be accompanied by the associated underlying data, and that such data be made available for examination by other interested parties.
4. Advisory Committee on Data Quality, Integrity, and Access
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Because questions of access to data and data collection are complex and evolving, we recommend the creation of a Federal Advisory Committee on Data Quality and Integrity, composed of a mix of FCC personnel, industry representatives, academic researchers, and members of the public interest/advocacy community. This group would help the FCC identify problem areas and design solutions as it works to provide the best possible policies for the American public.
For more information, please contact mediahub@ssrc.org.
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