America's regulatory mess

摘要

At the Federal Communications Com-mission (FCC), regulators have abruptly altered telecoms policy and issued surprising last-minute rules re-regulating radio broadcasters. At the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), where deregulation was once an article of faith, regulators have suddenly reversed course, backing away from liberalising the retail electricity market. At the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Harvey Pitt, its ex-boss, was crushed by attacks from Congress. Michael Powell, the FCC'S head, may soon suffer the same fate: this week, the House of Representatives voted against a recent FCC relaxation of national ownership limits for broadcast-TV firms. The Senate is expected to follow suit.