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| FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler |
FCC
Chairman Tom Wheeler, working with leaders of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee, has agreed to reduce the number of field offices slated to be closed
under a plan to streamline the operation of the Enforcement Bureau. The
original plan called for closing 16 of the FCC's 24 field offices and replacing
them with so-called "Tiger Team" strike forces that could be sent
anywhere to go after rules violators. There was widespread opposition to the
plan, as many people believed it would result in significantly reduced
enforcement activities.
Now,
according to the ARRL Letter, meetings between the FCC and congressional
oversight leaders led to an agreement to close only nine field offices, keeping
open a total of 15. There was no immediate announcement of which offices
originally planned for closure would remain open. House Communications and
Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, W7EQI, praised the
"collaborative" effort and said the agreement would "help ensure
that the commission can fulfill its responsibilities to the public and public
safety communities.
