what is the federal communications commission fcc 
the term federal communications commission fcc refers to an independent u s government agency that oversees all interstate and international communications the fcc maintains standards and consistency among types of media and methods of communication while protecting the interests of consumers and businesses it allocates cellular and wireless access regulates media company mergers and acquisitions m a protects intellectual property rights and regulates standards of content and distribution for all media companies operating in the united states the agency is accountable to u s congress and its actions are monitored closely by investors understanding the federal communications commission fcc as noted above the federal communications commission is an independent agency that answers to the u s government it was established in 1934 as part of the communications act which is a law regulating domestic and foreign wire and radio communications 1 the law was further expanded to include satellite television and broadband communications 2 the agency s reach extends across the 50 states the district of columbia and every u s territory 3the fcc is considered the key authority in the united states that oversees communications law regulation and innovation in the technology sector its mission is to help advance the global communications industry through the agency is headed by a chair who is one of five commissioners appointed by the president each commissioner is confirmed by the senate and serves a five year term nearly 1 500 employees work collectively work the commissioners they are divided into numerous bureaus and offices that focus on different aspects of the commission s duties 3the fcc s actions affect public and private companies that engage in communications because of this its decisions are closely monitored by stock market investors that s because the regulations and resolutions adopted by the agency have a direct impact on corporate business lines and therefore people s investments commissioners cannot have a financial interest in any business regulated by the fcc in order to prevent conflicts of interest fcc regulationsthe agency s regulatory powers include the setting of manufacturing standards for communications equipment decency standards in radio and television broadcasts and ensuring competition 4 the commission includes an office of administrative law judges that hear disputes and issues decisions interpreting the agency s regulations tasked with enforcement of the communications act and fcc regulations the commission s enforcement bureau conducts investigations levies fines and initiates administrative judgments against violators fcc fines can tally as high as the tens of millions of dollars for some violations which can affect the value of some companies 4fcc approvalsthe fcc s rulemaking and regulation process is established through what s called the notice and comment process the agency provides the general public with notice allowing people to submit comments before any rules are established amended or developed 5 these procedures may have wide ranging effects on the competitive balance in the communication market m a activity of communications companies requires fcc approval while this approval process is designed to protect consumers and prevent monopolies it occasionally creates uncertainty for companies and investors while fcc approval is under review some don t actually receive approval which can result in uncertainty for these companies 5the fcc has long wielded significant regulatory powers with radio television and telephone providers in 2015 the commission extended its reach to include broadband internet service providers isps by classifying the companies as common carriers under title ii of the communications act 3the commission s decision to list broadband providers as common carriers occurred via a 3 2 vote that was along party lines this vote highlights the potential effect the political affiliation of appointed commissioners can have on the regulatory interpretation of the commission 3the fcc under president bidenthe agency is headed up by acting chair jessica rosenworcel who was appointed by president joe biden on jan 21 2021 6 prior to her appointment rosenworcel worked in communications policy and public service she worked as the united states senate committee on commerce science and transportation as senior communications counsel and practiced communications law 7under her leadership the commission is expected to undertake several key initiatives there is a great expectation the agency will take a different direction under the biden administration than it did when donald trump was president this includes issues surrounding broadband privacy the agency s transparency industry mergers and ownership and enforcement of penalties and regulations may also be addressed 8this is one of the major issues that the administration is expected to explore the framework for the nation s net neutrality policies was laid out by the obama administration in effect isps were required to give equal and non discriminatory access to content that is available online put simply the policies prohibited corporations from slowing down and blocking content from users these policies were eliminated under the trump administration in 2017 6biden hinted that the agency could penalize providers who go against these policies by blocking or prioritizing content to create artificial scarcity and raise consumer prices there is a possibility that the commission may also ban data caps fees and rates through its rulemaking process 6the commission remained deadlocked following the resignation of ajit pai who served as chair under then president donald trump two republicans and two democrats serve as commissioners gigi sohn was nominated by president joe biden to fill the remaining open seat on the fcc sohn is a distinguished fellow at the georgetown law institute for technology law policy and a benton senior fellow and public advocate known as a long time advocate for free and reduced cost access to broadband internet unsurprisingly sohn s fcc confirmation was opposed along party lines in march 2022 the senate commerce committee voted to advance sohn s nomination which will be voted on by the senate 13