[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 182 (Friday, September 18, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 58295-58297]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18502]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[FCC 20-58; FRS 17002]


Media Bureau Reorganization

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission eliminates the Engineering 
Division of the Media Bureau and folds it into the Bureau's Industry 
Analysis Division. We take this step to account for changes in the 
Engineering Division's duties and in the organizational structure of 
the Commission. Incorporating the work and staff of the Engineering 
Division into the Industry Analysis Division is

[[Page 58296]]

meant to ensure that the Bureau's technical expertise is integrated 
more fully into the Bureau's adjudicatory matters and policy 
proceedings. The intended effect of this action is to streamline the 
Media Bureau's operations by simplifying its organizational structure, 
reduce management redundancies by improving the supervisor-to-employee 
ratio, and encourage more interaction and collaboration within the 
Bureau.

DATES: Effective September 18, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Holly Saurer, [email protected], 
Deputy Bureau Chief, Media Bureau, (202) 418-7283.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Order, 
FCC 20-58, adopted and released on April 29, 2020. The full text of 
this document is available for public inspection online at https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-adopts-media-bureau-reorganization. 
Alternative formats are available for people with disabilities 
(Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format) by sending an 
email to [email protected] or calling the Commission's Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 
(TTY).

Synopsis

    In this Order, we conclude that it will serve the public interest 
and improve the Commission's operations to streamline the organization 
of the Media Bureau. Specifically, we eliminate the Engineering 
Division and fold the work and staff of the Engineering Division into 
the Media Bureau's Industry Analysis Division (IAD). We take this 
action to account for changes in the Engineering Division's duties and 
in the organizational structure of the Commission. By incorporating the 
work and staff of the Engineering Division into IAD, we can better 
ensure that the Bureau's technical expertise is integrated more fully 
into the Bureau's adjudicatory matters and policy proceedings. We 
therefore conclude that this organizational change is warranted and 
amend the Commission's rules accordingly to reflect this new structure.
    Background. The current composition of the Engineering Division and 
the IAD stem back to the creation of the Media Bureau in 2002. The 
Engineering Division was established to conduct technical reviews of 
media related matters, including essential work overseeing technical 
compliance of multichannel video programming distributors, as well as 
television and radio broadcast licensees, with Commission rules. The 
IAD was established to conduct and participate in proceedings regarding 
media ownership and the economic aspects of existing and proposed rules 
and policies, to review license transfers that implicate significant 
policy issues, and to develop reports on relevant industry and market 
data and information.
    More specifically, the Engineering Division processed cable 
industry regulatory filings (such as registrations and their updates, 
and signal leakage and proof of performance results), Cable Television 
Relay Service (CARS) applications, and requests for rulings on 
technical matters. As the industry has transitioned from analog to 
digital and from paper to electronic filing processes, and as the 
Commission has engaged in dozens of proceedings to modernize its rules, 
the Engineering Division's tasks have diminished. For example, many of 
the tasks that the Engineering Division used to perform, such as 
monitoring and enforcing proof-of-performance testing requirements and 
collecting FCC Form 325 (Annual Report of Cable Television Systems), 
are no longer necessary given updates to our rules. The Division's work 
is now primarily focused on consulting with other Bureaus and Offices 
and the Media Bureau's other divisions in all aspects of media-related 
technical rulemakings and enforcement and providing analysis of the 
Commission's cable industry data, as well as maintaining the Cable 
Operations and Licensing System (COALS) database, which includes the 
CARS licensing process.
    Among other things, the IAD collects, compiles, analyzes and 
develops reports on relevant industry and market data and information, 
including conducting rulemakings and preparing reports to Congress on 
the status of competition in the media industry. With the recent 
creation of the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), the IAD's 
economists and a portion of its responsibilities were relocated to the 
new OEA.
    Discussion. We find that there are notable benefits to bringing the 
Engineering Division team within the larger IAD. Simplifying the 
organizational structure of the Bureau will streamline its operations, 
improve the supervisor-to-employee ratio thereby reducing redundancies 
in management, and encourage more extensive staff interaction and 
collaboration. The IAD staff has extensive experience analyzing the 
media industry and incorporating such analysis into the Bureau's 
rulemaking and regulation. Therefore, they are well positioned to 
effectively utilize the technical resources of the Engineering 
Division. Further, IAD manages the Bureau's collection of data 
pertaining to media ownership issues. Combining this extensive 
experience and responsibility for information technology with the 
Engineering Division's COALS database expertise would be beneficial to 
the Bureau's management and would coalesce much-needed technical 
resources. In addition, the mission of both divisions involves 
providing technical support and subject matter expertise to the Media 
Bureau's other divisions, as well as consultation and coordination with 
other Bureaus and Offices related to various policy proceedings, 
adjudications, and enforcement matters.
    For these reasons, we believe that combining the Engineering 
Division and the IAD will promote more effective use of Commission 
resources. Accordingly, we find that Engineering Division personnel and 
responsibilities should be moved into the IAD, and the Engineering 
Division should be eliminated as a separate Media Bureau division. The 
key objectives of this organizational change are to more efficiently 
deploy Commission resources, enhance the Bureau's understanding and 
analysis of the media industry, and rationalize and modernize our 
organizational structure. We believe that we can best accomplish these 
objectives through organizational change. In order to effectuate this 
change, we modify our rules to account for the reorganization.
    The amendments adopted herein pertain to agency organization, 
procedure, and practice. Consequently, the notice and comment and 
effective date provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act contained 
in 5 U.S.C. 553(b) and (d) do not apply.
    This document does not contain information collection requirements 
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104-
13. In addition, therefore, it does not contain any new or modified 
information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer 
than 25 employees, pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act 
of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4).
    The Commission will not send a copy of this Order pursuant to the 
Congressional Review Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A), because the 
adopted rules exclusively relate to agency management or personnel.
    It is ordered that, pursuant to sections 1, 4, 5(b), 5(c), and 
303(r) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 
154, 155(b), 155(c), and 303(r) this Order is adopted.

[[Page 58297]]

    It is further ordered that part 73 of the Commission Rules is 
amended.
    It is further ordered that consistent with the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2020, this Order will become effective when the 
appropriate clearance has been obtained and upon the date set forth in 
the Federal Register publication of this Order.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

    Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

Federal Communications Commission.
Cecilia Sigmund,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.

Final Rules

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal 
Communications Commission amends 47 CFR part 73 as follows:

PART 73--RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES

0
1. The authority citation for part 73 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  47 U.S.C. 154, 155, 301, 303, 307, 309, 310, 334, 
336, 339.


0
2. Revise Sec.  73.3617 to read as follows:


Sec.  73.3617   Information available on the internet.

    The Media Bureau and each of its Divisions provide information on 
the internet regarding rules and policies, pending and completed 
rulemakings, and pending applications. These sites also include copies 
of public notices and texts of recent decisions. The Media Bureau's 
address is http://www.fcc.gov/mb/; the Audio Division's address is 
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio; the Video Division's address is http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video; the Policy Division's address is http://www.fcc.gov/mb/policy; and the Industry Analysis Division's address is 
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/industry_analysis.

[FR Doc. 2020-18502 Filed 9-17-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P