TheFederal Communications Commission (FCC) is a United States executive agency formed in 1934 which, according to its official website, "regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories."^[1] The chair of the commission is Brendan Carr as of September 2025.

History

Founded in 1934 by the Communications Act, the FCC took over radio licensing from the Federal Radio Commission. In 1940, the commission released a report that led to the breakup of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), eventually leading to the formation of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). TheReport on Chain Broadcasting also placed restrictions on what the networks could demand from local affiliate stations in regard to scheduling programming. When television became a new medium in the 1940s, the FCC took on the role of licensing those stations as well. The FCC also regulates what it considers to be obscenity and indecency in television and radio programming.^[2]

In 2015, during the administration of PresidentBarack Obama, the FCC implementednet neutrality regulations requiring internet service providers (ISPs) to treat content and applications equally. On December 14, 2017, the FCC voted 3-2 to repeal the rules.^[2][3][4] See the articleFederal policy on technology, privacy, and cybersecurity, 2017-2020 for more information on these changes.

Structure

Administrative State
Read more about theadministrative state on Ballotpedia.

Mission

According to its official website, the FCC's mission statement is as follows:

Leadership

The current chair of the FCC is Brendan Carr. The other commissioners are Anna M. Gomez and Olivia Trusty as of September 2025.^[6]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the termFederal + Communications + Commission

See also

• U.S. Department of Commerce

External links

• Official FCC website
• Facebook page
• Twitter feed
• Youtube channel
• Flickr account

Footnotes

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United States Terms Adjudication (administrative state) •Administrative judge •Administrative law •Administrative law judge •Administrative state •Arbitrary-or-capricious test •Auer deference •Barrier to entry •Bootleggers and Baptists •Chevron deference (doctrine) •Civil servant •Civil service •Code of Federal Regulations •Codify (administrative state) •Comment period •Compliance costs •Congressional Record •Coordination (administrative state) •Deference (administrative state) •Direct and indirect costs (administrative state) •Enabling statute •Ex parte communication (administrative state) •Executive agency •Federal law •Federal Register •Federalism •Final rule •Formal rulemaking •Formalism (law) •Functionalism (law) •Guidance (administrative state) •Hybrid rulemaking •Incorporation by reference •Independent federal agency •Informal rulemaking •Joint resolution of disapproval (administrative state) •Major rule •Negotiated rulemaking •Nondelegation doctrine •OIRA prompt letter •Organic statute •Pragmatism (law) •Precautionary principle •Promulgate •Proposed rule •Publication rulemaking •Regulatory budget •Regulatory capture •Regulatory dark matter •Regulatory impact analysis •Regulatory policy officer •Regulatory reform officer •Regulatory review •Rent seeking •Retrospective regulatory review •Risk assessment (administrative state) •Rulemaking •Separation of powers •Significant regulatory action •Skidmore deference •Statutory authority •Substantive law and procedural law •Sue and settle •Sunset provision •Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions •United States Code •United States Statutes at Large Bibliography "Administrative Law - The 20th Century Bequeaths an 'Illegitimate Exotic' in Full and Terrifying Flower" by Stephen P. Dresch (2000) "Confronting the Administrative Threat" by Philip Hamburger and Tony Mills (2017) "Constitutionalism after the New Deal" by Cass R. Sunstein (1987) Federalist No. 23 by Alexander Hamilton (1787) "From Administrative State to Constitutional Government" by Joseph Postell (2012) "Interring the Nondelegation Doctrine" by Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule (2002) "Rulemaking as Legislating" by Kathryn Watts (2015) "The Checks & Balances of the Regulatory State" by Paul R. Verkuil (2016) "The Myth of the Nondelegation Doctrine" by Keith E. Whittington and Jason Iuliano (2017) "The Progressive Origins of the Administrative State: Wilson, Goodnow, and Landis" by Ronald J. Pestritto (2007) "The Rise and Rise of the Administrative State" by Gary Lawson (1994) "The Study of Administration" by Woodrow Wilson (1887) "The Threat to Liberty" by Steven F. Hayward (2017) "Why the Modern Administrative State Is Inconsistent with the Rule of Law" by Richard A. Epstein (2008) Agencies Administrative Conference of the United States •United States Civil Service Commission •U.S. Government Accountability Office •U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs •U.S. Office of Management and Budget