Our legislative branch abdicated its power when they stopped bothering to pass laws that people actually want.
If the FTC and FCC weren't doing either of these things, they simply wouldn't happen. As soon as a Net Neutrality or non-compete clause ban bill makes it to the senate floor, Republicans will just filibuster it, even though public opinion is overwhelmingly in support of both these measures.
While I support both of those things, I don't see any problem requiring the legislature to actually legislate to make them happen. If the public felt strongly about these issues they would just remove their representatives next election.
Just because I happen to agree with the actions of the agency in this case is not enough to justify handing legislative power over to bureaucratic agencies that do not have any of the checks and balances that are supposed to exist in our system.
> that do not have any of the checks and balances that are supposed to exist in our system.
But they do have the same checks and balances. All of these rules are open to judicial review and there is a whole process in place due to the Administrative Procedure Act. In fact there are more rules for these agencies like having public commenting periods after which they're required by law to consider that input when making their rules.
One of the things the legislative branch can do is delegate their powers to organizations better equipped to understand complex issues.
These organizations, which function as part of the executive branch, are still subject to checks and balances from both the legislative and judicial branches. The legislative branch has the power to change the laws that govern what these agencies can or cannot do, and the judicial branch has the power to determine if their actions go against either the laws passed by the legislature or the constitution.
Banning regulatory agencies from doing their job would hamstring our government's ability to regulate anything, which is probably why monied interests like to argue that their very existence is unconstitutional.
If the FTC and FCC weren't doing either of these things, they simply wouldn't happen. As soon as a Net Neutrality or non-compete clause ban bill makes it to the senate floor, Republicans will just filibuster it, even though public opinion is overwhelmingly in support of both these measures.