FCC, what would we do without you?

A Grateful Nation Sighs in Relief "The things we bring in and the services we provide are important in this time of struggle."

“   "President Obama's fiscal 2012 budget proposal includes $354.2 million for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), up from $335.8 million in 2010, the last time Congress approved the agency's spending levels," reports The Hill. "The reasons for the increase, according to FCC Managing Director Steve VanRoeckel: about 75 new staffers, funding for an emergency response center created in 2010 and a request to replace four or five of the FCC's Hybrid Chevy Tahoes each year, which the FCC uses for field work." When asked how he would explain the increased budget to Congress, VanRoeckel claimed that the FCC pays for itself by fining TV and radio stations that fail to abide by the FCC's draconian decency standards and renting out chunks of spectrum to corporations that have spent the most money lobbying the FCC. VanRoeckel added - "The things we bring in and the services we provide are important in this time of struggle."  [The Hill]