FCC also affected by US federal government shutdown
You might have thought that you’re lucky enough to not be affected by the US government shutdown that is currently in effect, but you may have forgotten one significant thing: the FCC is controlled (and funded) by the federal government, and that means it is, for all intents and purposes, completely nonfunctional at the moment.
So what does this mean for mobile tech geeks like us?
For starters, there is literally no one at the FCC who can help you with consumer complaints or inquiries. If you’ve been trying to get Sprint to drop an ETF charge, for example, and you’ve resorted to filing a complaint with the FCC, it is now on hold indefinitely.
Additionally, no one is around to approve new TV and radio licenses and, perhaps most disheartening of all, new equipment authorizations. This means that, unless a new phone or tablet has already gotten the green light from the FCC, it cannot be released for sale in the US until the government starts running again and the FCC opens its doors.
As things stand now, the number of people who are working at the FCC dropped 98%, from 1754 to just 38. Everyone else is furloughed. Even the FCC website got shut down, with a message that, “FCC is limited to performing duties that are immediately necessary for the safety of life or the protection of property. FCC online systems will not be available until further notice.”
Let’s just hope there weren’t any upcoming new device releases you were anticipating that will now be delayed!
[FCC via Android Police]
