Senate Bill S. 2881 would add technical expertise to FCC Commissioners' offices
A bill introduced on Monday [12/14/2009] in the U.S. Senate would potentially add one electrical engineer or computer scientist within each of the offices of the five FCC Commissioners. Introduced by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and co-sponsored by Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia), Senate Bill 2881 would authorize each FCC Commissioner to add one staff assistant position to the three that are currently authorized. The new position of "staff engineer" would require that the holder either have a degree in electrical engineering or be a computer scientist. If eventually passed, the new authorization would effectively undo a loosening of requirements for technical staff at the highest level of the FCC that began more than
25 years ago.
***** Moderator's Note *****
In the world of Washington shadow-boxing, this is as close as a federal agency ever gets to a rebuke. The F.C.C., annoyed by a Congressional demand to plan for upgrading the nation's telecommunications infrastructure, put out a notice that asked for input on converting the nation's phone system to VoIP. Of course, that can't happen, and apparently the word has reached the Congress, so Senators Snow and Warner are firing a shot across the FCC's bureaucratic bow.
Time will tell if the commission gets the message "loud and clear".
Bill Horne Moderator