The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has requested a budget increase of more than 4 percent, despite the agency effectuating staff and resource cuts under its current chairman Brendan Carr.
The FCC says the budget request still reflects a strategic shift, one that involves an increase in technology as it seeks to reduce the number of on-hand employees to around 1,400. The increase will also allow the FCC to more-tightly regulate things like emergency alerts and regulatory filing, even as the agency’s field staff declines.
Radio-relevant bureaus see modest changes. The Media Bureau’s $28.8 million budget remains flat, though staff will drop slightly to 112. The Enforcement Bureau’s budget increases slightly to $46 million, despite cutting 10 positions. The focus appears to be on enhancing investigative tools, especially to combat pirate radio.
Public Safety and Homeland Security will maintain its $28.1 million budget but lose five staff, down to 110. The bureau remains responsible for EAS enforcement and aims to improve multilingual alerting.
A major investment is planned in IT. The Office of Managing Director’s funding will jump nearly 25% to $123.5 million, supporting upgrades to licensing and compliance systems. Meanwhile, the Office of Inspector General’s budget will grow to $13.5 million, signaling stronger audit efforts across licensees.
Despite increased spending, regulatory fee structures are expected to remain stable.
