Created by the Communications Act of 1934, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency in
charge of regulating interstate and foreign communications by radio, television, satellite, wire, and cable. It is responsible for the development
and operation of broadcast services and must provide rapid and efficient
telephone and telegraph service at reasonable rates throughout the
world. In the event of a national emergency, the FCC coordinates licensed communications services to help keep the public informed.
Five commissioners sit on the FCC, each appointed to a five-year
term by the U.S. president with the consent of the Senate. One of these
commissioners is appointed chairman. There are seven operating bureaus
and ten staff offices.
When the FCC was established, it had a budget of just over $1 million and 442 staff members. The estimated budget for 2008 was $313
million, and the staff numbered around 2,000.
FCC is everywhere
It is common knowledge that the FCC regulates interstate and international communications. But the commission plays a more active role in
daily life than most Americans may realize. For example, most electrical
and electronic equipment emit radio frequencies that the FCC must protect. Every time a person sets a home security alarm, opens the garage
door with a remote control, or heats food in a microwave, he or she is
being protected by FCC rules.
Where once the FCC’s focus was primarily on radio and television,
much of the commission’s work in the twenty-first century involves the
Internet. One of the newest technologies is broadband, which integrates
several digital services such as cable, satellite, wireless, phone lines, and
power lines to bring Internet users the fastest speeds available. The FCC
has worked closely with those industries involved in the evolving technology of broadband, and by the middle of the first decade of the
twenty-first century, 45 percent of American households that accessed
the Internet did so via broadband. All of the rules and regulations of
Internet use are presided over and enforced by the FCC. There have been times when the FCC has been accused of censorship, and decisions of the FCC can be appealed to the courts. With responsibilities and power that extend to such vast and various segments of
daily life, it is inevitable that the FCC will be challenged. Very few individuals or businesses have ever won an appeal against the FCC.