WASHINGTON-Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin has yet to convince his colleagues to reorganize the FCC with a new homeland security and public-safety bureau, he told the House Appropriations commerce subcommittee.
“Before we are able to make a formal reprogramming request, the full commission must approve the plan,” said Martin. “I have a plan pending before my colleagues.”
Martin announced in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that he intended to create a new homeland security and public-safety bureau.
The request was not included in the budget request submitted by President Bush last month, but Martin told reporters it would be in the detailed filing he planned to submit to Congress.
“We have yet to see a formal reprogramming request,” said Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the House Appropriations commerce subcommittee.
Martin said that he now expects his colleagues to approve the plan by the end of the month, and after that could submit the proposal to the Appropriations Committee.
Creating a new bureau that covers some wireless issues threw into doubt the status of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. RCR Wireless News first reported in July that Martin wanted to eliminate the wireless bureau, move its functions to other bureaus and perhaps create a new bureau. Since the details of Martin’s reorganization plan have not been released, it is unclear which functions and policies would be moved to the new bureau and whether the wireless bureau would remain.
Most large policy issues facing the FCC-including the protection of customer call records-are being handled by the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau.
On the cell-phone call records privacy issue, Martin said he expects the FCC to complete proposed rules on better protecting customer call records by the end of the summer, but he warned the lawmakers that “additional steps may be necessary by Congress and the Federal Trade Commission.”
