Senate Republicans: Sequester Should Not Have Much Effect on FCC

Minority memo for oversight hearing suggests agency has enough staff and money

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/12/2013 12:10:54 PM

According to Senate Commerce Committee Republican staffers, the sequester should not have much of an effect on the FCC's operations.

That is according to the memo for Tuesday's FCC oversight hearing in the committee.

While FCC chairman Julius Genachowski plans to tell the committee that the sequester will harm spectrum management and public safety, the memo suggests that won't be the case.

It says that the Universal Service Fund is not affected, that the incentive auctions are not affected by the cuts, that while the staffing level at the agency is already the lowest in 30 years, "it does not appear to affect the FCC's ability to function adequately," and that even with the cuts, the FCC still has a larger appropriation than in any previous year.