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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the U.S. government, which was created and empowered by Congressional statute, and which majority of commissioners were appointed by the current President. The agency FCC has six current goals in such areas as broadband, competition, the spectrum and the media, agency’s modernization, public safety and homeland security (Largo 2004).
The Federal Communications Commission was created with signing the Communications Act of 1934. The FCCwas the successor to the Federal Radio Commission and is a head of all non-federal state use of the radio spectrum and all interstate telecommunications. It also regulates all international communications which are in the United States of America. This agency is a very important factor in American telecommunication policy. It took the function of regulation the wire communication from the Interstate Commerce Commission. The mandated jurisdiction of the agency is spread over the 50 states of the USA, the District of Columbia, and American possessions. Because of rather close geographic location to the USA, the Federal Communications Commission also helps with cooperation, oversight, and leadership to similar communication agencies in some other countries of North America. Annual budget is US$352.5 million [1]. Agency executive and the chairman is Julius Genachowski. The official website is www.fcc.gov. The FCC has 1,899 federal employees (Zarkin 2006).
On the 14th of November 2008, Susan P. Crawford and Kevin Werbach were appointed by Barack Obama to review the FCC. The function of the review team will be to review the commission and to help the new administration in making planning decisions. The review team will ensure that the administration of the FCC have all necessary information in order to finish the confirmation process, rule the departments, and begin implementing signature policy initiatives as soon as they are sworn in (FCC).
Mission and strategy. As it is written in the first section of the Communications Act which was amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the mission of the FCC’s is to make the efficient services with good facilities and reasonable prices available for all people in the United States efficient. There is also mentioned that the purposes of the FCC are the defense of nation and contribution in safety of life and property using the wire and radio communications (Brinson 2004).
Here are those six main goals, which were written in 2006-2011 Strategic Plan of FCC:
– Broadband: All people in the United States should have acceptable access to reliable broadband products and services. The regulatory policy should provide innovation, investment, technological neutrality, investment and competition, in order to be sure that consumers have proper stimulus to develop and offer all these services and products.
– Competition: There should be some kind of competition in the assignment of communication services. It should be domestically and overseas. The competitive base for communications services must encourage innovation and offer broadband service providers reliable, significant choice in affordable services.
– Spectrum: The use of non-federal spectrum should be efficient and effective, both domestically and internationally. It should assist in active growth and development of innovative and effective communication services and technologies.
– Media: The regulations of media should promote competition and variety; they should help the transformation to digital modes of delivery the information.
– Public Safety and Homeland Security: The provision of communications during crisis or some emergencies should be available for public safety, defence and health. The infrastructure of nation should be reliable, interoperable, redundant, and quickly restorable.
– Modernize the FCC: The FCC will work hard in order to be very productive, adaptive, and innovative organization which boosts the benefits to management, stakeholders and staff effective resources, systems, processes, and organizational culture (Hilliard 1991).
Organization of the FCC. Looking through the organization of the FCC, we see that it has 7 Bureaus and 11 Staff Offices.
– Bureaus. The functions of Bureaus are to work with applications for licenses and other papers, work on complaints, investigate, create and perform regulations, and take part in hearings.
The Enforcement Bureau (EB) works with enforcement of items of the Communications Act 1934, observance of FCC rules, conditions, orders, and terms of authorizations. The main areas of enforcement that are processed by the EB are the protection of customer, local competition, homeland security and public safety.
The Consumer & Governmental Affairs (CGB) works on development and implementation the Commission’s customer policies. CGB is a face of the Federal Communications Commission that acts through education and outreach, and Consumer Center, which answers to customer’s complaints and inquiries. CGB also works on partnerships with government, local, and tribal governments in such spheres as emergency preparedness and development of new technologies.
The International Bureau (IB) works on development of international policies in the area of telecommunication. Its functions are to coordinate the frequency allocation and orbital assignments in order to minimize the U.S. international electromagnetic interference. This Bureau also oversees the compliance of FCC with the international Radio Regulations and other acts and agreements.
The Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) administrates the policy about wireline telecommunications. Its task is to stimulate the economical investments and growth of wireline technology, infrastructure, markets, and services development.
The Media Bureau (MB) creates, administrates and recommends the licensing programs and the policy, which relates to electronic media in the United States, such as broadcast television, cable television, and radio.
– Offices. The Offices of FCC support the Bureaus. Even if the offices and the Bureaus have their own, individual functions, they still often work together on different FCC issues.
The Office of Communications Business Opportunities (OCBO) advertises and promotes the opportunities of the business in telecommunication area for minority-owned, small and women-owned companies. This office works with public organizations, entrepreneurs, industry, and other individuals in order to spread information about Commission policies, increase ownership and employment opportunities, encourage the variety of ideas and viewpoints in the airwaves, and foster the participation in FCC activities.
The Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ) conduct the hearings which Commission orders. The office acts on interlocutory requests filed in the proceedings; it works with petitions to intervene and enlarge issues, and also contested discovery requests.
The Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) advises the FCC in the field of engineering. Their main task is to administrate the electromagnetic spectrum, including frequency allocation and spectrum usage. The office controls the advanced phases of terrestrial and space communications; manages the rules of FCC concerning experimental, new radio services, radio devices, and different scientific equipment.
The Office of General Counsel is the main legal advisor to the FCC. The General Counsel also represents the FCC in litigation in U.S. federal courts, recommends decisions to FCC, assists it in decision making process and performs a big amount of legal functions as to internal and other administrative issues.
The Office organizes the Technical Advisory Council, a committee of Commission advisors from big media and telecommunication corporations. It also controls the Equipment Authorization Branch, which is connected with overseeing equipment authorization for all devices, which use the energy from 9 kHz to 300 GHz. It manages an electronic database which is in certified equipment, available for public.
The Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) is the connection of FCC and the US Congress, which provides lawmakers with information as to the Commission regulations. The Office function is also to prepare information about the Commission witnesses for Congressional hearings, and to help Commission in creation the responses to legislative proposals and Congressional inquiries. This office serves as a link between FCC and other Federal agencies, as well as state and local governments.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) manages the policies which can prevent fraud in Commission activities. The Office gives recommendations as to corrective actions when it is needed, and refers the criminal matters to the US Department of Justice for potential prosecution.
The Office of the Managing Director (OMD) assists in administration and management of the Commission in such areas as the budget, security, personnel, contracts and others
The Office of the Secretary (OSEC) is responsible for the reception and distribution of documents through electronic and paper filing systems and the Library collection of the FCC. This office also publishes legal notices of the FCC decisions in the FCC Record and the Federal Register and.
The Office of Media Relations (OMR) works with the dissemination of FCC information (announcements, orders, proceedings, and other) to media requests. This office is responsible for the FCC Daily Digest, Audio Visual Center and website.
The Office of Workplace Diversity (OWD) is responsible for development the policy which provides a full and fair opportunity for all employees of the agency.
The Office of Strategic Planning & Policy Analysis (OSP) is so called a think tank of the Commission, which identifies the policy objectives for the FCC. This office works together with the FCC Chairman and is provides the monitoring the situation of the communications industry. It identifies trends, issues and the health of industry. The office works as an expert in areas of economic, market analysis and business (Jung 1996).
FCC commissioners. The Federal Communications Commission is rules by five commissioners appointed by the U.S. president and agrees by the Senate for the term of five years. One commissioner is designated by the president to be a chairman. Not more than three commissioners are allowed to be from the same political party. One more demand is that none of them can have any financial interests in any business, related to FCC.
Current chairman is Julius Genachowski, and current commissioners are Michael J. Copps, Robert M. McDowell, Meredith Attwell Baker, Mignon Clyburn (FCC).
As to the headquarters of the FCC, so the Federal Communications Commission rents space in the Portals building in southwest Washington, DC. In January 1996 the General Services Administration signed an agreement with the building’s owners, and agreed to let the FCC rent 450,000 square feet of space in Portals for 20 years for $17.3 million per year (FCC).
So, the Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the U.S. government, which was created and empowered by Congressional statute, and which majority of commissioners were appointed by the president.

Work Cited:

Brinson, Susan L. (2004). The Red Scare, politics, and the Federal Communications Commission, 1941-1960. p. 117. Print.
FCC. Retrieved from http://www.fcc.gov/
Hilliard, Robert L. (1991). The Federal Communications Commission: a primer. pp. 45-48. Print.
Jung, Donald J. (1996). The Federal Communications Commission, the broadcast industry, and the fairness doctrine, 1981-1987. p. 140. Print.
Largo, Martha P. (2004). The Federal Communications Commission: what role? p. 69. Print.
Zarkin, Kimberly., Zarkin, Michael J. (2006). The Federal Communications Commission. pp. 211-212.Print.