House Republican Introduces FCC CIO Parity Act

Rep. Mimi Walters, R-Calif., introduced HR-2546 Thursday to “ensure the Chief Information Office of the Federal Communications Commission has a significant role in decisions related to information technology,” its title said. An aide said the bottom line of the legislation is that it ups the commission’s chief information officer position to the same standing as the chief technology officer. The aide cited the goal of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act, now law but not applying to independent agencies like the FCC, of empowering CIOs. The legislation extends that IT bill’s goals to the commission, the aide said. The three-page text of the bill shows the full title is the FCC CIO Parity Act.