Order Code RL32589
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
The Federal Communications Commission:
Current Structure and its Role in the
Changing Telecommunications Landscape
Updated June 15, 2006
Patricia Moloney Figliola
Specialist in Telecommunications and Internet Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

---

The Federal Communications Commission: Current
Structure and its Role in the Changing
Telecommunications Landscape
Summary

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent Federal
agency directly responsible to Congress. It was established by the Communications
Act of 1934 (1934 Act) and is charged with regulating interstate and international
communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. The mission of the
FCC is to ensure that the American people have available — at reasonable cost and
without discrimination — rapid, efficient, nation- and world-wide communication
services; whether by radio, television, wire, satellite, or cable.
The FCC is funded through the Science, State, Justice, Commerce (House) and
Commerce, Justice, Science (Senate) appropriations process as a single line item.
H.R. 2862 was signed by President Bush on November 22, 2005 (P.L. 109-108). It
includes $289,771,000 for the salaries and expenses of the FCC. Of the amounts
provided, $288,771,000 is to be derived from offsetting fee collections, resulting in
a net direct appropriation of $1,000,000.
Although the FCC has restructured over the past few years to better reflect the
industry, it is still required to adhere to the statutory requirements of its governing
legislation, the Communications Act of 1934. The 1934 Act requires the FCC to
regulate the various industry sectors differently. Some policymakers have been
critical of the FCC and the manner in which it regulates various sectors of the
telecommunications industry — telephone, cable television, radio and television
broadcasting, and some aspects of the Internet. These policymakers, including some
in Congress, have long called for varying degrees and types of reform to the FCC.
Most proposals fall into two categories: (1) procedural changes made within the FCC
or through Congressional action that would affect the agency’s operations or (2)
substantive policy changes requiring Congressional action that would affect how the
agency regulates different services and industry sectors.
One bill has been introduced in the 109th Congress that would directly affect the
structure of the FCC. H.R. 2982, the FCC Reorganization Act, was introduced by
Representative Albert Wynn to require the FCC to reorganize its bureaus to better
carry out its regulatory functions. The bill was referred to the Committee on Energey
& Commerce on June 17, 2005, and the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and
the Internet on July 1, 2005.
This report will be updated as needed.

---

Contents
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
FCC Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
FCC Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
FCC Strategic Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Broadband . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Spectrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Public Safety & Homeland Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
FCC Modernization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Proposals for Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Potential Procedural Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Adoption/Release of Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sunshine Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Timeliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Enforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Potential Substantive Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
FCC-Related Congressional Action:
109th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Hearings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Additional Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
List of Tables
Table 1: FCC Appropriations, FY1999-2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

---

The Federal Communications Commission:
Current Structure and its Role in the
Changing Telecommunications Landscape
Background
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent Federal
agency directly responsible to Congress. It was established by the Communications
Act of 1934 (1934 Act or “Communications Act)1 and is charged with regulating
interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and
cable.2 The mission of the FCC is to ensure that the American people have available,
“without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex,
a rapid, efficient, Nationwide, and worldwide wire and radio communication service
with adequate facilities at reasonable charges.”3
The 1934 Act is divided into titles and sections that describe various powers and
concerns of the Commission:4
! Title I — FCC administration and powers. The 1934 Act originally
called for a commission consisting of seven members, but that
number was reduced to five in 1983. Commissioners are appointed
1 The Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. §151 et seq., has been amended numerous
times, most significantly in recent years by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, PL 104-
104, 110 Stat. 56 (1996). References in this report are to the 1934 Act, as amended, unless
indicated. A compendium of communications-related laws is available from the House
Committee on Energy and Commerce at [http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/
pubs/108-D.pdf]. It includes selected Acts within the jurisdiction of the Committee,
including the Communications Act of 1934, Telecommunications Act of 1996,
Communications Satellite Act of 1962, National Telecommunications and Information
Administration Organizations Act, Telephone Disclosure and Dispute Resolution Act,
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, as well as additional
communications statutes and selected provisions from the United States Code. The
compendium was last amended on December 31, 2002.
2 See About the FCC, available online at [http://www.fcc.gov/aboutus.html].
3 47 U.S.C. §151.
4 When Congress established the FCC in 1934, it merged responsibilities previously
assigned to the Federal Radio Commission, the Interstate Commerce Commission, and the
Postmaster General into a single agency, divided into three bureaus, Broadcast, Telegraph,
and Telephone. See Analysis of the Federal Communications Commission, Fritz Messere,
available online at [http://www.oswego.edu/~messere/FCC1.html] and the Museum of
Broadcast Communications Archive at [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/
federalcommu/federalcommu.htm] for additional information on the history of the FCC.

---

CRS-2
by the President and approved by the Senate to serve five-year terms;
the President designates one member to serve as chairman. No more
than three commissioners may come from the political party of the
President. Title I empowers the Commission to create divisions or
bureaus responsible for specific work assigned and to structure itself
as it chooses.
! Title II — Common carrier regulation, primarily telephone
regulation, including circuit-switched telephone services offered by
cable companies. Common carriers are communication companies
that provide facilities for transmission but do not originate messages,
such as telephone and microwave providers. The 1934 Act limits
FCC regulation to interstate and international common carriers,
although a joint federal-state board coordinates regulation between
the FCC and state regulatory commissions.
! Title III — Broadcast station requirements. Much existing broadcast
regulation was established prior to 1934 by the Federal Radio
Commission and most provisions of the Radio Act of 1927 were
subsumed into Title III of the 1934 Act. Sections 303-307 define
many of the powers given to the FCC with respect to broadcasting;
other sections define limitations placed upon it. For example, section
326 of Title III prevents the FCC from exercising censorship over
broadcast stations. Also, parts of the U.S. code are linked to the
Communications Act. For example, 18 U.S.C. 464 makes obscene
or indecent language over a broadcast station illegal.
! Title IV — Procedural and administrative provisions, such as
hearings, joint boards, judicial review of the FCC’s orders, petitions,
and inquiries.
! Title V — Penal provisions and forfeitures, such as violations of
rules and regulations.
! Title VI — Cable communications, such as the use of cable channels
and cable ownership restrictions, franchising, and video
programming services provided by telephone companies.
! Title VII — Miscellaneous provisions and powers, such as war
powers of the President, closed captioning of public service
announcements, and telecommunications development fund.
FCC Structure
The FCC is directed by five Commissioners appointed by the President and
confirmed by the Senate for five-year terms (except when filling an unexpired term).
The President designates one of the Commissioners to serve as Chairperson. Only
three Commissioners may be members of the same political party. None of them can

---

CRS-3
have a financial interest in any Commission-related business. The current
Commissioners are Kevin Martin (Chairman, term expires July 2006); Jonathan
Adelstein (term expires November 2009); Michael Copps (term expires December
2010); Deborah Taylor Tate (term expires January 2011); and Robert McDowell
(term expires June 2001).5
The day-to-day functions of the FCC are carried out by six bureaus and 10
offices. The current structure of the FCC was established in 2002 as part of the
agency’s effort to better reflect the industries it regulates. The bureaus process
applications for licenses and other filings, analyze complaints, conduct
investigations, develop and implement regulatory programs, and participate in
hearings, among other things. The offices provide support services. Bureaus and
offices often collaborate when addressing FCC issues.6 The Bureaus hold the
following responsibilities:
! Wireline Competition Bureau — Administers the FCC’s policies
concerning common carriers — the companies that provide long
distance and local service to consumers and businesses. These
companies provide services such as voice, data, and other
telecommunication transmission services.
! Enforcement Bureau — Enforces FCC rules, orders, and
authorizations.
! Wireless Telecommunications Bureau — Handles all FCC domestic
wireless telecommunications programs and policies.7 Wireless
communications services include cellular, paging, personal
communications services, public safety, and other commercial and
private radio services. This bureau also is responsible for
implementing the competitive bidding authority for spectrum
auctions.
! Media Bureau — Develops, recommends, and administers the policy
and licensing programs relating to electronic media, including cable
television, broadcast television and radio in the United States and its
territories.
! Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau — Addresses all types
of consumer-related matters from answering questions and
responding to consumer complaints to distributing consumer
education materials.
5 Additional information about the Commissioners can be found online at
[http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/].
6 FCC Fact Sheet, available online at [http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts
/aboutfcc.html].
7 Except those involving satellite communications broadcasting, including licensing,
enforcement, and regulatory functions. These functions are handled by the International
Bureau.

---

CRS-4
! International Bureau — Administers the FCC’s international
telecommunications policies and obligations.
The only FCC office that conducts regulatory proceedings is the Office of
Engineering and Technology, which advises the FCC on engineering matters.
However, the Office of Administrative Law Judges also conducts hearings and issues
initial decisions. Other offices are the Office of Communication Business
Opportunities, Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Inspector General, Office
of Legislative Affairs, Office of the Managing Director, Office of Media Relations,
Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, and Office of Workplace
Diversity.8
On March 17, 2006, the FCC announced its plan to create a Public Safety and
Homeland Security Bureau.9 Once created, the bureau will handle the following
issues and functions currently dispersed among seven bureaus and offices: public
safety communications; priority emergency communications; alert and warning of
U.S. citizens; continuity of government operations and continuity of operations
planning; public safety outreach; disaster management coordination and outreach;
24/7 communications center; communications infrastructure protection; network
reliability and resiliency; network security; advisory committees and panels focused
on public safety and security issues; and studies and reports of public safety,
homeland security, and disaster management issues. The bureau will be organized
into three divisions: Policy Division, Public Communications Outreach &
Operations Division, and the Communications Systems Analysis Division. In
addition, the Bureau will have a Front Office consisting of the Bureau’s senior
leadership and management staff10.
FCC Budget
The FCC is funded as a single line item11 through the Science, State, Justice,
Commerce appropriations process in the House and the Commerce, Justice, Science
appropriations process in the Senate. The direct appropriation to the Commission is
significantly less than its budget because, pursuant to Title I, section 9 of the
Communications Act of 1934, the FCC derives most of its funding through
regulatory fees.12
8 Responsibilities of each of the offices is detailed online at the FCC website at
[http://www.fcc.gov/aboutus.html].
9 The changes are subject to Congressional notification before they become effective.
10 For additional information on the new bureau, please refer to the FCC press release,
online at [http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-264395A1.pdf].
11 For update-to-date status on the FCC section of the yearly Commerce-Justice-State
Appropriations bill, see [http://www.congress.gov/brbk/ html/apcjs64.html].
12 A full discussion of the status of the FCC budget is available online at
[http://www.congress.gov/brbk/html/apcjs64.html].

---

CRS-5
The FCC is funded through the Science, State, Justice, Commerce (House)
and Commerce, Justice, Science (Senate) appropriations process as a single line
item. H.R. 2862 was signed by President Bush on November 22, 2005 (P.L. 109-
108). It includes $289,771,000 for the salaries and expenses of the FCC. Of the
amounts provided, $288,771,000 is to be derived from offsetting fee collections,
resulting in a net direct appropriation of $1,000,000. 13
Table 1 lists the total appropriation, direct appropriation, and regulatory fees
offset for FY1999-2006.
Table 1: FCC Appropriations, FY1999-2006
$ in Millions
Fiscal
Total
Direct
Regulatory Fees
Year
Appropriation
Appropriation
Offset
Requested
Enacted
Requested
Enacted
Requested
Enacted
Actual
1999
212.9
192.0
40.4
19.5
172.5
172.5
172.5
2000
230.8
209.9
45.1
24.1
185.8
185.8
185.8
2001
237.1
230.0
37.0
29.9
200.1
200.1
200.1
2002
248.5
245.1
29.8
26.3
218.8
218.8
218.8
2003
278.1
271.0
29.9
2.0
248.2
269.0
265.7
2004
280.1
274.0
28.8
1.0
251.9
273.0
285.0
2005
293.0
281.1
20.0
1.0
273.0
280.1
292.9
2006
304.0
289.8
20.0
1.0
299.2
288.8
N/A
2007
327.5
N/A
26.0
N/A
301.5
N/A
N/A
Note: This table was compiled, in part, from figures provided by the FCC Office
of Legislative Affairs and data from the FCC Strategic Plan Web page.14
FCC Strategic Plan
In 2003, the FCC adopted a five-year strategic plan promoting six goals
relating to broadband, competition, spectrum, media, homeland security, and FCC
modernization. In September 2005, the FCC updated this plan with new descriptions
of each goal and incorporating “public safety” into its homeland security goal.15
13 See House Report 109-272 (November 7, 2005). See also House Report 109-118 (June
10, 2005) and Senate Report 109-88 (June 23, 2005).
14 The FCC Strategic Plan Web page is online at [http://www.fcc.gov/omd/strategicplan/].
15 The FCC Strategic Plans for FY2003-FY2008 and FY2006-FY2011 are available online
at [http://www.fcc.gov/omd/strategicplan/]. The Strategic Plans provide a good reference
for the background, mission, and general goals of the FCC. The Strategic Plan also contains
a more detailed breakdown and discussion of each of the objectives that comprise each goal.

---

CRS-6
Broadband
All Americans should have affordable access to robust and reliable broadband
products and services. Regulatory policies must promote technological neutrality,
competition, investment, and innovation to ensure that broadband service providers
have sufficient incentive to develop and offer such products and services.16
Competition
Competition in the provision of communications services, both domestically
and overseas, supports the Nation’s economy. The competitive framework for
communications services should foster innovation and offer consumers reliable,
meaningful choice in affordable services.17
Spectrum
Efficient and effective use of non-federal spectrum domestically and
internationally promotes the growth and rapid deployment of innovative and efficient
communications technologies and services.18
Media
The Nation’s media regulations must promote competition and diversity and
facilitate the transition to digital modes of delivery.19
Public Safety & Homeland Security
Communications during emergencies and crises must be available for public
safety, health, defense, and emergency personnel, as well as all consumers in need.
The Nation’s critical communications infrastructure must be reliable, interoperable,
redundant, and rapidly restorable.20
FCC Modernization
The FCC shall strive to be a highly productive, adaptive, and innovative
organization that maximizes the benefit to stakeholders, staff, and management from
effective systems, processes, resources, and organizational culture.
16 FCC Strategic Plan, FY2006-FY2011, p. 3
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.

---

CRS-7
Proposals for Change
Proposals for change at the FCC can be characterized as either “procedural”
changes that focus on the manner in which the agency conducts its business or
“substantial” changes that focus on the manner in which the FCC regulates the
communications industry.
Potential Procedural Changes
Some of procedural changes under consideration would require new
legislation (e.g., Sunshine rules), while others could be achieved through internal
FCC action.
Adoption/Release of Orders. The FCC often adopts orders and issues
press releases with a summary of the order weeks or even months prior to releasing
the order itself. For example, the Triennial Review, which dealt with controversial
issues relating to competition in the local telecommunications market, and the 800
MHz order, which dealt with controversial and technically complicated issues related
to interference to public safety communications, were released six months and one
month, respectively, after they were officially adopted by the Commission. Some
congressional policymakers have discussed instituting a “shot clock,” which would
require the FCC to issue the actual order within a set time frame after it adopts the
order and issues a press release.
Sunshine Rules. Under current “sunshine laws,”21 only two
commissioners may meet outside the construct of an official “open meeting.” While
such a requirement, in theory, promotes open discussion of issues under
consideration, in reality, most Commission business is conducted by circulating
drafts of orders for comment. Further, the open meeting requirement may actually
hinder discussion among the commissioners, especially in cases where the
disagreement on the draft is significant. In such cases, it might be possible for further
compromise if a third or fourth commissioner could be involved in the discussion.
While the FCC cannot institute such changes without Congressional amendment to
current sunshine requirements, it could be useful to study how other agencies, which
do not employ circulation as much as the FCC, work through contentious issues on
their agendas. Senator Ted Stevens, Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has stated that he believes the current
sunshine requirements “push too much power to the staff, and it does not allow more
21 The Government in the Sunshine Act, PL 94-409, was passed in 1976. It requires that all
federal agencies with units that work independently of each other hold their meetings in
public session. The bill explicitly defined meetings as essentially any gathering. Many
federal agencies, most notably the independent regulatory agencies, including the FCC, are
headed by multiple commissioners. These agencies make most of their decisions through
discussions and voting by the board or commission members. This law was created so that
these meetings would be in the public domain for all to review. Additional information on
this law is available online at [http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1161139].

---

CRS-8
than two commissioners to be in the same room at one time. . . it really is the
sunshine law gone awry."22
On May 1, 2006, Senator Stevens introduced the Communications,
Consumer's Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006. Section 1001 of the
bill would allow the Commission to conduct a meeting that is not open to the public
if the meeting is attended by all members of the Commission or “at least 1 member
of the political party whose members are in the minority.”23 This provision, in effect,
would allow meetings between 2 Commissioners as long as they are from different
political parties.
Timeliness. Some of the basic work of the FCC affects the every day
function of the telecommunication industry (e.g., license transfers for mergers and
sales and license renewals). Some policymakers have expressed concern that these
processes take too long to complete. Similar to views concerning more complicated
regulatory actions such as rulemaking proceedings, these policymakers believe there
should be a strict time limit on how long these actions may take to complete. Such
time limits, they state, would provide further operational certainty within the
industry.
Enforcement. Enforcement of agency rules is currently the responsibility
of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. Previously, enforcement responsibilities were
held by a division within each bureau. For example, enforcement of slamming was
done by a division within what was then the Common Carrier Bureau (now called the
Wireline Competition Bureau). Some policymakers have questioned whether the
current “unified” structure is more effective than the previous “diversified” structure
and have suggested studying the issue.
Potential Substantive Changes
While the changes discussed above could be made by the FCC absent
Congressional action, other, more significant changes would likely require the
passage of legislation. In fact, the FCC has restructured over the past few years to
better reflect the telecommunications industry, but it is still required to adhere to the
statutory requirements of its governing legislation, the Communications Act of 1934.
Title I of the 1934 Act gives the FCC the authority to structure itself in the manner
it believes will allow it to best fulfill its responsibilities; however, from a practical
standpoint, the FCC may not be able to restructure to the extent needed to implement
significant changes unless changes are made to the 1934 Act itself.
Some policymakers have been critical of the FCC and the manner in which
it regulates various sectors of the telecommunications industry — telephone, cable
television, radio and television broadcasting, and some aspects of the Internet. These
22 "Stevens to Continue Listening Sessions, But Sees Telecommunications Bill by July,"
Daily Report for Executives, No. 51, March 17, 2005, Page A-1. This article is available
o n l i n e a t [ h t t p : / / i p p u b s . b n a . c o m / I P / B N A / d e r . n s f / S e a r c h A l l V i e w /
96C56942C092C93B85256FC70014F11F?Open&highlight=FCC,SUNSHINE].
23 This bill is available online at [http://www.congress.gov/cgi-lis/query/z?c109:S.2686:].

---

CRS-9
policymakers, including some in Congress, and various interest group and think tank
experts, have long called for varying degrees and types of reform to the FCC. Some
have called for significantly downsizing the agency by eliminating its regulatory
functions and transforming it into an enforcement agency.24 Others have suggested
abolishing the agency and parceling out its functions to other agencies.25 Others still
call for more regulation (e.g., indecency).
For additional information about changes to the regulation of various
telecommunications services, see CRS Report RL22444, Net Neutrality: Background
and Issues, by Angele A. Gilroy, and CRS Report RL33034, Telecommunications
Act: Competition, Innovation, and Reform, by Charles B. Goldfarb.
FCC-Related Congressional Action:
109th Congress
Since the 109th Congress convened, there has been much discussion
regarding the possibility of updating the Communications Act and a number of
hearings26 and “listening sessions”27 were held. In the Senate, the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation eliminated its Subcommittee on
Communications with the intention of considering any legislation to amend the
Communications Act in the full committee.
Legislation
One bill has been introduced in the 109th Congress that would directly affect
the structure of the FCC. H.R. 2982, the FCC Reorganization Act, was introduced
by Representative Albert Wynn to require the FCC to reorganize its bureaus to better
carry out its regulatory functions. Specifically, the bill would require the FCC to
create bureaus to address spectrum management, government affairs and consumer
24 See, for example, “How to Reform the FCC”, by Randolph J. May, June 21, 2004,
available online at [http://news.com.com/20101071-5236715.html].
25 For example, under such a scenario, the FCC would no longer be responsible for
reviewing and approving mergers between companies; instead, the Department of Justice
would provide anti-trust review. See, e.g., “Why the FCC Should Die,” by Declan
McCullagh, June 7, 2004, available online at [http://news.com.com/2010-1028-
5226979.html ]; and “Law and Disorder in Cyberspace: Abolish the FCC and Let Common
Law Rule the Telecosm,” 1997, information available online at
[http://www.phuber.com/huber/cl/cl.htm].
26 A complete list of hearings, along with associated testimony, for the Senate Committee
on Science, Commerce, and Transportation is available online at
[http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/index.cfm].
27 For further information on the listening sessions by the Senate Committee on Science,
Commerce, and Transportation, see "Stevens to Continue Listening Sessions, But Sees
Telecommunications Bill by July," Daily Report for Executives, No. 51, March 17, 2005,
Page A-1. This article is available online at [http://ippubs.bna.com/
IP/BNA/der.nsf/SearchAllView/96C56942C092C93B85256FC70014F11F].

---

CRS-10
education, economic regulations, public interest issues, broadcast content, licensing,
enforcement, and international issues. The bill was referred to the Committee on
Energey & Commerce on June 17, 2005, and the Subcommittee on
Telecommunications and the Internet on July 1, 2005.
Additionally, on May 1, 2006, Senator Stevens introduced the
Communications, Consumer's Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006.
Section 1001 of the bill would allow the Commission to conduct a meeting that is not
open to the public if the meeting is attended by all members of the Commission or
“at least 1 member of the political party whose members are in the minority.”28 This
bill is scheduled to be marked up at the end of June 2006.
Other bills have been introduced that would affect issues under the purview
of the FCC, including, but not limited to, broadband regulation and deployment,
indecent and violent programming, public interest obligations of broadcasters,
spectrum allocation, and universal service. These issues are out of the scope of this
report.
Hearings
On April 26, 2005, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin testified before the House
Committee on Appropriations on the FY2006 FCC budget request.29 During the
hearing, Commissioner Martin presented the FCC’s budget request and also
answered questions on Commission plans and action on issues such as broadcast and
cable indecency, the E-Rate, and the provision and availability of emergency services
via VOIP.30
Additional Reading
CRS Report RL22444, Net Neutrality: Background and Issues, by Angele A. Gilroy
CRS Report RL33034, Telecommunications Act: Competition, Innovation, and
Reform, by Charles B. Goldfarb
CRS Issue Brief IB10045, Broadband Internet Access: Background and Issues, by
Angele A. Gilroy and Lennard G. Kruger.
28 This bill is available online at [http://www.congress.gov/cgi-lis/query/z?c109:S.2686:].
29 This testimony is available online at [http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/
attachmatch/DOC-258333A1.pdf].
30 A complete list of hearings, along with associated testimony, for the House Committee
on Energy and Commerce and its subcommittees is available online at
[http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/action.htm]. A complete list of hearings, along with
associated testimony, for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
and its subcommittees is available online at [http://commerce.senate.gov
/hearings/index.cfm].

---