Like many government agencies impacted by the government
shutdown, the FCC has stated that they'll be operating with a skeleton crew
moving forward, with some 1,700 full-time employees sent home until the
shutdown ends.
According to Karl Bode at dslreports.com, FCC commissioners
and three inspectors general will be working.
Another sixteen employees will be on staff to handle things
like interference detection and disaster response, national security issues and
IT support, although the FCC website is down. Consumer protection will be one
of the things put on hiatus.
"Consumer complaint and inquiry phone lines cannot be
answered; consumer protection and local competition enforcement must cease;
licensing services, including broadcast, wireless, and wireline, must cease;
management of radio spectrum and the creation of new opportunities for
competitive technologies and services for the American public must be
suspended; and equipment authorizations, including those bringing new
electronic devices to American consumers, cannot be provided," said the
FCC.
And with the FCC shutdown, it doesn’t mean TV viewers will
see nudity and it doesn’t mean listeners will hear f-bombs on the radio.
Eventually, the bureaucrats at the FCC will return to
work. And that’s when they’ll begin
fielding complaints again. A funding-related door-shuttering doesn't overturn
federal law or cancel the FCC's mandate. It also doesn't mean that the FCC
can't revoke the license of any broadcaster who flouts its rules.
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