Senators move to bolster FCC tech expertise

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It just seems wrong that in 1948 the FCC employed 720 engineers, but has fewer than 300 today – and with that somewhat astonishing fact in mind, bipartisan legislation has been introduced by Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Ted Kaufman (D-DE) to send in reinforcements.


The bill would initiate a first step – a study by the National Academy of Sciences of the FCC’s decision-making on technical matters, and the availability of personnel on staff to help address increasingly complex and difficult problems.

Snowe said, “With the rapid advancement of technologies and innovation within the telecommunications industry, the FCC must be better equipped and more agile to address the ever-changing technical landscape from a regulatory perspective.”

“It is critical that we include engineers in our nation’s technical policy and decision making, at the FCC and across the government,” added Kaufman.

RBR-TVBR observation: This is clearly a prime area of concern for Snowe – along with Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), she has also been pushing legislation to add a tech advisor to the personal staff of each commissioner.  Read about her earlier effort here:

http://www.rbr.com/media-news/washington-beat/19408.html