Federal Communications Commission
FCC is the abbreviation for Federal Communications Commission. It is an independent government agency of the United States established under the Communications Act of 1934. The FCC has been given the responsibility to monitor the interstate and international communications which include television radio, satellite, wire and cable. The jurisdiction of the FCC includes all 50 states, including the District of Columbia, as well as areas under US possession.[1]
History
The FCC was created by an act of Congress passed on 19 June 1934. It was created during US President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s ‘The New Deal’ era and was granted a large latitude to establish a fast, nationwide, and worldwide wire and radio communication service. The main motive behind formation of the FCC was to merge the administrative responsibilities of regulating broadcasting and wired communications into one single agency. Operation of the FCC started on 11 July 1934 when seven commissioners and 233 federal employees started the task of merging procedures and rules from several governmental agencies such as the Interstate Commerce Commission, Federal Radio Commission and the Postmaster General into a single agency. Today, the FCC employs approximately 1900 people and has comprehensive responsibilities in various fields of communication technologies such as microwave, satellite and private radio communications. [2]
Organization
The FCC is governed by five Commissioners. These commissioners are appointed directly by the President and are ratified by the Senate. These commissioners are mostly appointed for 5-year terms unless there is a filling of an unexpired term. The President also elects the Chairperson of the FCC from one of these commissioners. The Chairperson is also known as the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission and is responsible in delegating administrative and management responsibilities to the Managing Director of the Commission. All the five Commissioners are assigned with the task of supervising all the activities of the FCC, which also include delegating responsibilities to the various staff units and Bureaus of FCC.[3]
Functions
The main role of FCC is to regulate the various mediums of communication. Additionally, the FCC also carries out other assorted functions, including:
- Enforcing and maintaining laws related to Communications, such as the Communications Act.
- Advise the US commission on various issues related to communication businesses.
- Represent the US commission in various international matters pertaining to communications and satellite.
- Frame policies concerning the communication businesses.
- Preside over the legal matters pertaining to communication.
- Frame policies related to the functioning of telephone companies and VoIP service providers.[4]
Strategic plan (2009-2014)
The strategic plan of FCC for 2009-2014 focuses mainly on making communication services accessible to the general public. It is aimed towards providing communications products and services to consumers and businesses on a timely basis and at reasonable costs.[5]
Strategic goals
FCC has set some strategic goals, which it seeks to achieve in various sectors. Some of the strategic goals set by FCC include:
Broadband: All Americans should gain an easy access to reliable and robust broadband products and services and that too at affordable rates. It wants to frame policies in such a way so that they help promote competition, technological neutrality, investment so that the broadband service providers are able to develop products and services, which Americans can easily afford.
Spectrum: The FCC also wants to ensure that there is an effective and efficient use of non-federal spectrum both domestically as well internationally. It also wants to promote growth and proper deployment of efficient and sophisticated communication technologies.
Media: The FCC also wants to create some strategic media regulations, which will increase competition and ensure diversity in the media and also wants to facilitate the digital modes of delivery in the media.
Competition: The FCC also wants to ensure that there is adequate competition in the provision of communications service both nationally as well as internationally so that it supports the nation’s economy. The FCC wants to foster a competitive framework for communications services so that it encourages innovation and provides American consumers with meaningful, reliable and affordable communications services.
Public Safety and Homeland Security: The FCC also wants to make sure that Americans are able to have an easy access to all communications even in the times of emergencies and crises so that there is adequate public safety, defense, health and reliable infrastructure as and when required by the people of America. The FCC wants to make the communications infrastructure of America highly reliable, redundant, interoperable and rapidly restorable.
Modernize the FCC: The FCC shall work towards making itself highly innovative, adaptive and productive organization whose main focus would be on providing huge benefits to its staff, stakeholders, processes, organizational culture, processes and management from effective systems. [6]
Relations with ICANN
The relation of FCC with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Numbers and Names (ICANN) is of what a government has with corporate bodies. The FCC is a regulator whereas ICANN is a private sector, non-profit, technical coordinating body. [7]