Article; The FCC is still open for business

[redhat]

From an email newsletter;

Tom Taylor NOW

The FCC is still open for business
Open For Business Most of the “non-essential” parts of the federal government closed on Friday – but not the FCC.

Chairman Ajit Pai saw the potential shutdown coming and stashed away enough funds to keep his agency going for a whole week – at what sounds like full-tilt. Note that this isn’t the shutdown-contingency plan Pai shared last month, when he said they’d keep about 225 of the 1,492 staffers on the job. That’s still in abeyance and could be triggered if needed. Here’s what the FCC said Friday – “In the event of a partial government shutdown, because of available funding, the FCC plans to remain open and pay staff at least through the close of business on Friday, January 26.” There’s important work going on – especially next week, when Pai hopes to convene the scheduled January 30 meeting and start rolling back his Democratic predecessor’s Net Neutrality policy. Pai’s personally taking a lot of heat on that, from Congress and third-party protesters. He’d probably like to have that 3-to-2 party line vote taken on January 30 as scheduled, and get on with it. D.C.-based attorney David Oxenford says in a weekend post that “we have even heard that the FCC auctions may be funded differently from the rest of the agency, and may continue even if there is no resolution.” The Copyright Office is closed, though the Patent and Trademark Office says it’s good “for a few weeks.”

I guess tom foolery will have to wait until next weekend

+-RH

[KaySeeks]

... next week, when Pai hopes to convene the scheduled January 30 meeting and start rolling back his Democratic predecessor’s Net Neutrality policy.

Seems to me that the tom foolery never stopped.

[redhat]

Ah yes, our gubermint at work...

+-RH