Opinion ID: 165579
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Deadline for FCC Action

Text: The Petitioners have requested that this court retain jurisdiction and impose a specific deadline of no more than 180 days for FCC compliance. The Petitioners appear to allege unreasonable delay on the part of the FCC in implementing universal service support mechanisms and in responding to this court’s previous remand. Under 5 U.S.C. § 706(1), we may “compel agency action unlawfully withheld or unreasonably delayed.” While this court has never had occasion to delineate under what circumstances such relief will be granted, it is clear that a court-imposed deadline for agency action constitutes an extraordinary remedy. See In re Int’l Chem. Workers Union, 958 F.2d 1144, 1149 (D.C. Cir. 1992). The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has set forth the following factors to guide courts in this determination: (1) the extent of the delay, (2) the reasonableness of the delay in the context of the legislation authorizing agency action, (3) the consequences of the delay, and (4) administrative difficulties bearing on the agency’s ability to resolve an issue. See id. at 1149-50. To this we might expressly add consideration of the complexity of the task envisioned by a court’s remand order. 34 While we recognize that nearly nine years have passed since the passage of the Telecommunications Act and over three years since our decision in Qwest I, we decline the invitation to retain jurisdiction or impose an arbitrary deadline. The Telecommunications Act envisions a complex transition to a competitive communications market and contains no statutory deadlines for completion of its universal service mandate. No less complex is our comprehension of the task before the FCC on remand. Redefining the statutory terms identified above and developing a support mechanism consistent with the principles identified by Congress requires the full development of an administrative record, empirical findings, and careful analysis. Under these circumstances, we will not constrain the Commission’s consideration of the issues before it. We fully expect the FCC to comply with our decision in an expeditious manner, bearing in mind the consequences inherent in further delay.