The House Appropriations Committee approved, 28-21, a FY...
The House Appropriations Committee approved, 28-21, a FY 2015 budget that would fully fund the FTC at its requested level (http://1.usa.gov/1v6Ddzj), but grant the FCC more than $50 million less than it requested and the Senate authorized Tuesday (CD June…
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25 p14). The FTC’s full request -- $293 million -- is $5 million less than its FY 2014 budget. The FCC’s FY 2015 request was $375.38 million, up from its $339.84 million outlay in FY 2014, according to a House report (http://1.usa.gov/ViQA4T). Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee Chairman Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., said both agencies could “operate with a little bit less.” According to the House report, “the creation of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection transferred some areas of consumer protection jurisdiction that were once the sole purview of the FTC to the CFPB.” The report was far more critical of the FCC, arguing the commission’s “organizational and management structure” is incongruous with the modern telecommunications market. “Market-based competition should result in a smaller Commission with fewer staff,” it said. The report urged the FCC to focus on hiring “essential technical staff” and “take seriously the use of its economists,” by emphasizing “more cost-benefit analysis of Commission rules.” It also chastised the FCC for some of its recent cybersecurity actions (CD June 13 p1), saying “the FCC should be concerned with things that are strictly within its jurisdiction and not attempt regulatory overreach.” The FCC had no comment.