Biden Seeks Funding Hikes for FCC, FTC, Other Agencies in FY23

The FCC and most other tech and telecom-focused federal agencies would get a funding increase in FY 2023 under a budget proposal President Joe Biden released Monday. Five entities -- the DOJ Antitrust Division, Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), NTIA, FTC and National Institute of Standards and Technology -- would get double-digit percentage increases compared with FY 2022. Biden signed off earlier this month on the FY22 omnibus appropriations package, which itself increased funding for the FCC, FTC and other agencies (see 2203150076).

Biden proposes giving the FCC $390 million, up 2.3% from what Congress appropriated in FY22 and less than 1% above what the administration sought for that year (see 2105280055). The proposal allocates $12.13 million for the commission’s Office of Inspector General. The FCC said in its budget request the increased appropriation would allow the agency to increase its workforce to 1,600 full-time equivalent positions, 128 more than authorized under the continuing resolution passed before Biden signed the FY22 omnibus. The FCC based its document on the CR figures.

The FCC proposes adding 27 jobs in the Enforcement Bureau compared with what the CR authorized, for a total of 212 FTEs. Others increases would be to the Wireline Bureau, 16 FTEs, for a total of 172; Wireless Bureau 13, for a total of 158; Office of Managing Director, 13, for a total of 194; Office of Economics and Analytics, 12 FTEs, for a total of 134; Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau, 10 FTEs, for a total of 119; Office of General Counsel, seven FTEs, for a total of 79; Public Safety Bureau, six FTEs, for a total of 104; Office of Engineering and Technology, five FTEs, for a total of 79; International Bureau, five FTEs, for a total of 88; and Office of Communications Business Opportunities, three FTEs, for a total of 13. Most other offices would add one FTE or stay even with the CR staffing levels.

Some of the new FTEs are needed to help the FCC administer broadband funding included in COVID-19 aid packages and the $14.2 billion Congress allocated via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for the agency’s Affordable Connectivity Fund, the commission said. Other new FTEs will be “analyzing available data to support data driven policies” and promoting “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility,” among other matters, the FCC said. $5 million of the budget increase will fund FCC implementation of the Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act.

The FTC would get $490 million in FY23, the Biden administration said, up 30% from what the agency got for FY22 and more than 25% above what the White House sought for that year. NTIA would get $67 million, 35% more than it got in FY22 and more than 24% above what Biden previously sought. The Patent Office would get $4.25 billion, almost 5% above its FY22 appropriation and more than 6% above the Biden administration’s request for that year. NIST would get $1.47 billion, 19% more than FY22 but almost 2% below what the White House previously sought. BIS would get $199.55 million, up more than 41% from FY22 and 40% above the administration’s past ask. The FTC and Commerce budget requests weren’t online Monday afternoon. A Commerce 2022-2026 strategic plan released Monday calls for it and the Agriculture Department by the end of FY23 to "expand affordable and reliable access to broadband service by funding projects, which when completed, will provide at least 550,000 households with reliable and affordable access to high-quality internet service."

DOJ Antitrust would get $273 million, more than 41% above FY22 and more than 35% higher than the Biden administration’s past request. That money will help “reinvigorate antitrust enforcement and protect consumers,” the department said. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency would get $2.51 billion, down 3% from FY22 but more than 17% above what the White House sought that year. The Copyright Office would get $100.67 million, more than 2% above FY22.

CPB would get $565 million beginning in FY 2025, reflecting what America’s Public Television Stations sought (see 2202280068). That’s 2.6% more than Congress allocated for FY 2024 and almost 19% above what Biden sought last year. “We very much appreciate the President’s endorsement of public media’s public service missions and his proposal” for the CPB budget increase, said APTS CEO Patrick Butler. It “would help restore the $100 million in lost purchasing power caused by 10 years of flat federal funding for CPB, and if approved by Congress will set us on a path toward dramatic improvements in the ability of local public television stations to provide the … programming which millions of Americans need and value.”

The U.S. Agency for Global Media would get $840 million for FY23, a 1% decrease from FY22 but 3.6% above what the White House sought that year. USAGM will use its money to “deliver fact-based, objective, and professional journalism in 62 languages around the world … while telling America’s story and countering anti-American propaganda,” the agency said in its budget request. “New investments will primarily focus on countering Russian and Chinese disinformation, in addition to targeted spending on research, facilities modernization, and diversity and inclusion.”