The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Regulatory Bulletin.

TELECOM

FCC

In a new blog posting, the FCC announced it is redesigning its website to “dramatically improve the usability and functionality of FCC.gov and its subdomains.” The new website can be previewed at: http://prototype.fcc.gov.

After conducting various forms of research, the FCC learned that “typical website users do not come to FCC.gov to browse content; they want to get the information they are looking for quickly and in as few clicks as possible.” Other findings include:

• Stakeholders prefer a clear separation of consumer vs. practitioner focused content. Practitioners use the website daily and prefer “cut and dry” information. General consumers prefer informational content on a broad range of topics.
• Stakeholders prefer that content to be organized and categorized based on the FCC’s day-to-day work, with specific and comprehensive navigation titles.
• Stakeholders prefer that the FCC.gov homepage prioritize important content for practitioners, as well as guide consumers to their dedicated section.

The implementation timeline is as follows:

• By the end of April, all visitors to the main FCC website will automatically connect using an HTTPS-by-default standard;
• By the end of May, the FCC will implement a new search application into the current FCC.gov site that will aggregate results for both FCC.gov and Electronic Document Management System (EDOCs) content into a seamless experience, and provide filters and facets for more advanced site users
• By September 30, 2015, the FCC will launch an improved FCC.gov featuring the new design, information architecture, and search application. The initial site launch will include website content approximately three levels deep into the new site. Work will continue after launch to integrate the more complex content and data not originally included at site launch.

ENERGY

Michigan

By Executive Order the Governor has created the Michigan Agency For Energy. The Michigan Agency for Energy is created as an agency within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. However, the Agency will exercise its prescribed powers, duties, and functions independently of the Director of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The Agency will:

• Analyze and make recommendations to the Governor on proposed programs and policies relating to energy, and on the elimination of duplication in existing state programs in these areas;
• Directly administer certain programs related to energy, and serve as the coordinating office for all agencies of the executive branch of government that are responsible for programs related to energy; and
• Provide information and assistance to all departments and agencies of the executive branch of government related to energy, both directly and by functioning as a clearinghouse for information received from such agencies, other branches of government, other states, and the federal government.