FCC Finalizes Plans on Field Office Closures

Amid loud complaints from amateurs, the broadcast industry and Congress, the FCC in July adopted a scaled back version of its previously announced plan to close two-thirds of its field offices. Under the final plan, 11 offices will close while 13 will remain open. 

Radio World reports that the offices slated for closure are: Anchorage, Buffalo, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Norfolk, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Juan, Seattle and Tampa; while operations will continue in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Columbia (MD, outside Washington DC), Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (OR) and San Francisco. In addition, rapid-response Enforcement Bureau "tiger teams" will work out of the Columbia and Denver offices, and all field agents will now be required to be electrical engineers.