Federal Communication Commission and its role in Communication

Question: Describe about the Federal Communication Commission and its role in Communication? Answer: The Federal Communication Commission, its governance and role in Internet. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a self-governing federal agency. It constitutes of five members who are selected by the President, with a prior condition of approval from the Senate. The FCC came into existence from the Communications Act of 1934 and looks after the regulation of communication at interstate and international level. Communication includes communication by means of radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. The main aim of FCC is to make sure that the residents of America have at all times availability of quick, well-organized, country- and world-wide communication services, whether by radio, television, wire, satellite, or cable, without any difference or discrimination and at the minimum cost possible. FCC Governance The FCC is headed by five commissioners selected by the President. They are finally reassured by the Senate. The term of service of the Commissioner is of five years. One of the commissioner is appointed by the president as the chairman of the commission. None of the commissioners will have any financial interest in the working of the Commission. FCC Organization The work of FCC is conducted by 7 bureaus and 10 offices. The areas looked after the bureau are: Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Enforcement Bureau, International Bureau, Media Bureau, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Wireline Competition Bureau. FCC Tactical Strategy At present FCC is working on a five year plan which is from FY2014FY2018. The main aim of this strategy is divided into eight areas: To link America with fixed and mobile broadband for maximum use of internet at reasonable prices. The aim is to make broadband reach their lives on daily basis To make the most out of the advantages of Spectrum To safeguard and permit consumers to make the right choices and be safe from the damages in the communications market To encourage Invention, Improvement, Investment and Competition To ensure Community and Country security To improve Important Nationwide Drives To achieve Operative Quality by managing resources The Commission management on yearly basis makes targets and evaluates them with each goal so as to know where they stand and what the loophole is. Goals and methods are printed in the FCCs Performance Plan, given to the commissions yearly financial plan as demanded by the Congress (Figliola P., 2015). Today internet has become the necessity in the lives of people. From business, to social network to the government procedures all are working on the internet network. The e-commerce concept has also brought about a big boom in the economy. Very rightly defined by the author the definition of internet as The Internet is a vast network of networks that communicate with each other based upon a set of software protocols that direct traffic so that the information can pass among the networks. The growth at a global level can only happen when all the nations give boost to the internet growth. An approach of "hands-off" permits the Internet to grow openly from the loads of old regulatory tools. The policies framed by the government to regulate the telecommunication market have a direct impact on the growth and norms of internet by the users. It is necessary to have a strong infrastructure for increasing the usage of internet. To guarantee that the Internet is accessible to maximum people, the FCC has implemented a "hands-off" Internet strategy. As internet is in the initial stage of development so necessary precautions should be taken so that internet can be delivered and used to the maximum. The regulatory policies have a direct impact on the internet services. Basic transmission capacity is the physical foundation necessary for the operation of Internet services and e-commerce applications. As a result, telecommunications regulatory policies can have a direct impact on the development of the Internet. Experience indicates that market-oriented policies spur the development of affordable and available infrastructure required for Internet services and e-commerce to flourish. The various factors which need to be considered internet to develop are: Competition: There should be open and healthy competition in the market to innovate and decrease the rates. The demands of the consumers should be fulfilled by providing them with maximum number of services at the minimum rates. The new talent should be recognized and promoted. Investment: To get investment from the private sector is most beneficial as they help in establishment of the necessary infrastructure. For this private sector needs to be given advantageous investment inducements. Other than investment private parties all bring about innovation, new technology, skills and information. Technical Impartiality : It is very necessary that different technologies are given the same platform and there is no discrimination otherwise there will be no innovation. The people who will benefit with such policy will not be the network providers but the consumers who will get the latest technology at the best speed and cheapest rates (Kennard W., 1999). Telecommunications policy has a great effect on our economy and the way we live. Still the related issues still get bigger with time and seem unresolved. Jonathan Nuechterlein and Philip Weiser have stated the issues which the nation face in the telecom industry. They have given the key technological, economic, and legal expansions challenging communications legislators in the twenty-first century. There are regulatory magnitudes of rivalry in wireline and wireless telephone service; competition among rival platforms for broadband Internet service and video distribution; and the Internet's transformation of every aspect of the telecommunications industry, particularly through the emergence of "voice over Internet protocol" (VoIP). The legal issues are also governing the industry and rapidly changing technological and economic context in which these issues arise (Nuechterlein J., Weiser P., 2005). Conclusion Therefore, as internet holds such an important place in our lives FCC should continue working on its strategies to ensure that the nation and the whole world reaps the benefits from the internet. With the application of hands-off approach, favorable competitive policies and good regulatory system the global internet community will see a new era and bellowed e-commerce market (Kennard W., 1999). References: Figliola M., (2015), Federal Communication Commission and its role in Communication, Published by Congressional Research Service. Nuechterlein J. Weiser P., (2005), Digital Crossroads, American Telecommunications Kennard W., (1999), Connecting the Globe: A regulators guide to building global information community, Federal Communications Communication, Washington.