We all know that Congress has some big ticket items on its agenda for next year - repealing ObamaCare, balancing the budget, reining the president’s executive authority, but receiving less attention than perhaps they should are a number of smaller regulatory battles in which the new Republican majority could make a real difference.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), spurred on by impassioned words from President Obama, is itching to enact stricter internet regulations next year. But there is a growing resistance among Republican lawmakers that could stop the agency in its tracks.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for determining which prescription drugs are legal to sell in the United States, with all new products forced to undergo a lengthy and expensive approval process before patients can access their benefits. But in many cases, the FDA is actively standing in the way of patients with debilitating or terminal illnesses being allowed to choose their own treatment, denying them the chance to fight for their survival.

A new poll just out from Fox News reports that 58 percent of Americans - the highest number ever recorded - would rather see ObamaCare repealed than let it stay in place.

It’s easy to imagine, in this era of the 24-hour news cycle, that things are the worst they have ever been. One could easily conclude that our liberties are a hair’s breadth away from being altogether eliminated at the hands of a government on the brink of totalitarianism, and the hope of restoring the American vision to its halcyon days of milk and honey grows bleaker by the hour. The president has no regard for the rule of law, and his supporters will stop at nothing to persecute and marginalize anyone who disagrees with the goals and governing philosophies of Dear Leader.

A turf war among regulators may be shaping up in the battle over Net Neutrality. A group of 32 academics, who oppose Net Neutrality on free market grounds, are asking that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) weigh in on the debate. The letter argues that the FTC already has the authority to deal with anticompetitive behavior, and that the agency should say as much.

A new study from the Urban Institute has supporters of ObamaCare - what few still remain, anyway - touting how successful the law has been. Of course, it all depends on what your definition of “successful” is.