WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission’s request to increase its budget by 8 percent received a chilly reception by lawmakers Tuesday afternoon.
“It will be very difficult. It will be impossible,” said Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the House Appropriations commerce subcommittee.
In his first appearance before Congress since assuming the chairmanship March 18, new FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said some of the budget would be for building a new engineering facility in suburban Maryland, the result of a two-year study on how to improve the commission’s engineering resources.
“The most efficient thing would be to build a new facility,” said Martin, noting that some of the buildings are nearly 100 years old. The new facility would be built at the existing site of the Columbia, Md., engineering lab and is budgeted to cost $9.3 million.
“Personnel at that station assist the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security in monitoring activities, while also carrying out routine FCC enforcement functions. The requested funds would provide site preparations, construction, utility tie-ins, security access and monitoring, and telecommunications hook-ups,” said Martin.
Upgrading the Columbia engineering facility was a key priority for former FCC Chairman Michael Powell.
Due to the timing of the budget process, Martin was forced to defend Powell’s proposed budget.
The commission’s FY06 budget request asks for more than $304 million in spending authority, the bulk of which-more than $299 million-would be financed by regulatory fees. The FCC is asking Congress to appropriate less than $5 million from general revenues.
