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U.S.-China Relations: Policy Issues -- Click to view this document
FBI Director: Appointment and Tenure -- Click to view this document
Legislative Branch Agency Appointments: History, Processes, and Recent Proposals -- Click to view this document
Recess Appointments Made by President Barack Obama -- Click to view this document
Legislative Options for Financing Water Infrastructure -- Click to view this document
Offender Reentry: Correctional Statistics, Reintegration into the Community, and Recidivism -- Click to view this document
Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress -- Click to view this document
Franking Privilege: An Analysis of Member Mass Mailings in the House, 1997-2012 -- Click to view this document
Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights -- Click to view this document
Moldova: Background and U.S. Policy -- Click to view this document
The Third Track: The Military Instrument and U.S. Policy Towards Iran -- Click to view this document
THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT’S AMBITIONS REPRESENTED IN THEIR NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM AND ITS IMPACT ON SECURITY IN THE ARAB GULF REGION -- Click to view this document
State –To– State Relationship Trends: North Korea Shares with China, Japan, Russia and South Korea -- Click to view this document
NATO’s Deterrence and Defense Posture: After the Chicago Summit -- Click to view this document
Getting Serious About Games: Using Video Games– Based Learning to Enhance Nuclear Terrorism Prepare -- Click to view this document
Extending the Endurance of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using Advanced Flexible Solar Cells -- Click to view this document
China's Foreign Policy Toward North Korea: The Nuclear Issue -- Click to view this document
Biological Weapons: Still a Relevant Threat -- Click to view this document
Assessing the Net Effects of Sanctions on the Proliferation on Weapons of Mass Destruction -- Click to view this document
An Examination of the Roles of Medical Units in Support of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear Event (CBRN) Under Joint Task Force -- Click to view this document

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

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. Nine bills have been introduced during the 112th Congress that would change the operation of the FCC. For FY2013, the FCC requested a budget of $346,782,000. The FY2012 enacted appropriation was $339,844,000. FY2013 appropriations bills from the Senate and the House have not yet been passed. H.J.Res. 117, which was passed by the House on September 13, 2012, would provide a framework for a six-month Continuing Resolution beginning on October 1, 2013. The FCC's budget is derived from regulatory fees collected by the agency rather than through a direct appropriation. The fees, often referred to as "Section (9) fees," are collected from license holders and certain other entities (e.g., cable television systems) and deposited into an FCC account. The law gives the FCC authority to review the regulatory fees and to adjust the fees to reflect changes in its appropriation from year to year. It may also add, delete, or reclassify services under certain circumstances. There are currently nine bills under consideration in the House and Senate that would affect the operations of the FCC: H.R. 1009, H.R. 2102, H.R. 2289, H.R. 3309, H.R. 3310, S. 611, S. 1780, S. 1784, and S. 1817. These are discussed in more detail in the body of the report. Bills: H.R. 1009, H.R. 2102, H.R. 2289, H.R. 3309, H.R. 3310, S. 611, S. 1780, S. 1784, S. 1817, H.J.Res. 117

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