The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has sent to the U.S. Congress its proposed operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins October 1, 2017.
The FCC’s proposed fiscal year budget is $358,286,000, which represents a decrease of nearly $26 million (6.7 percent) from its 2016 fiscal year appropriation. Almost all of the proposed reduction is attributable to one-time expenses incurred in FY 2016 related to the relocation of FCC facilities and space reconfiguration designed to reduce space consumption. The Commission reportedly expects to reduce its total space requirements by over 56,000 square feet in FY 2016, representing a savings of $3 million a year in rental payments.
The FCC has also achieved other efficiencies this past year through the reorganization of its Enforcement Bureau field offices. These efficiencies are expected to reduce total costs going forward while improving service levels to all stakeholders.
As a partial offset to its proposed budget reduction, the Commission has also proposed a $7 million increase in its share of proceeds from FCC-sponsored spectrum auctions, for a total of $124 million in spectrum auction-related collections.
The FCC projects the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees at the agency in FY 2017 at 1650, which remains unchanged from FY 2016.
View the FCC’s proposed budget for FY 2017.
Photo by 401(K) 2013 
