7.5: Public Access to Agency Information

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Accountability and transparency are concerns when governmental entities have a lot of discretion and limited judicial oversight. To ensure that the government remains responsive to the people as required by the Constitution, Congress has passed a series of laws to protect the rights of businesses and individuals.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was passed by Congress in 1966 to give a mechanism for private citizens to request information from the federal government. The central purpose of FOIA is to open up the workings of government to public scrutiny to keep the government accountable to the people and electorate.

The process is simple. A business or individual sends a letter to the head of an agency requesting information regarding a particular subject. The agency then has ten days to respond. If the agency denies the request, the party may either appeal the decision within the agency or sue in federal court for the information.

Not all information is subject to disclosure under FOIA. FOIA has nine exceptions:

National security and foreign policy;
Internal personnel rules and practices of an agency;
Information that Congress prohibits the disclosure of;
Trade secrets and confidential commercial or financial information;
Documents protected by the attorney-client privilege;
Personnel and medical files that would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
Some law enforcement information;
Documents related to the regulation of financial institutions; and
Geological and geophysical information and data, including well maps.

The media makes about ten percent of FOIA requests, which is part of investigative reporting. However, most requests come from businesses, attorneys, and individuals. Unless an exception applies, the government must disclose the requested information. This has become a tool for businesses seeking advantage over their competition.

For example, AT&T received a federal grant to promote communications in school. AT&T self-reported to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it may have overcharged the government for its services. This resulted in an investigation into AT&T’s services and billing practices. Several months after AT&T and the FCC reached a settlement in which AT&T reimbursed the FCC $500,000, a trade association representing some of AT&T’s competitors made a FOIA request to the FCC for documents related to the investigation and settlement. AT&T tried to block the request, arguing that it was an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. In a unanimous decision, the US Supreme Court held that corporations do not have a personal privacy right like individuals do. As a result, the FCC disclosed the information to AT&T’s competitors.

Over the years, FOIA has been amended and supplemented through complementary legislation. Businesses and individuals have the right to correct information that was submitted to an agency, as well as the right to specific reasons regarding any information that is withheld or redacted under FOIA. In addition, many agency meetings must be open to the public.

Most states have passed legislation similar to FOIA requiring state and local governments to disclose information to the public.

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