CBO Scores FCC Commissioners' Technical Resource Enhancement Act

The FCC Commissioners' Technical Resource Enhancement Act (S. 2881) would authorize each Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to appoint an electrical engineer or computer scientist to his or her staff.

The bill also would authorize the appropriation of $1 million for fiscal years 2011 and 2012 for the FCC, in cooperation with the National Academy of Sciences, to undertake a study of the adequacy of the FCC's technical and engineering resources to support decision making. Based on information from the FCC, CBO estimates that implementing S. 2881 would cost $7 million over the 2011-2015 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this legislation because it would not affect direct spending or revenues. S. 2881 would authorize the FCC to appoint an electrical engineer or computer scientist to the staff of each of the agency's Commissioners. The bill also would authorize the appropriation of $1 million in fiscal years 2011 and 2012 to evaluate the Commission's technical and engineering resources to determine whether it has adequate resources to evaluate the technical aspects of its rulemaking decisions. Based on information from the FCC, CBO estimates that implementing S. 2881 would increase spending subject to appropriation by $7 million over the 2011-2015 period. Approximately $1 million per year would be attributed to cost of salaries and overhead for the Commissioners' additional staff.