A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee passed the FCC’s budget on Monday evening for Fiscal Year 2026, which begins on October 1, 2025.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr asked Congress to approve just over $416 million, a 6.6 percent increase from the FY2025 budget request, Inside Towers reported. In the text from May, the agency said its vision “is to pursue policies to accelerate high-speed internet builds to unleash the U.S. economy and give all Americans a fair shot at next-generation connectivity and promote national security and public safety by taking concrete actions to address threats posed by foreign adversaries.”
But the House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee only agreed to a $390.2 million budget for the agency. That’s the same as the agency received for 2024 and 2025, according to Broadband Breakfast.
The legislation “Prohibits funds from being used to update minimum service standards for fixed or mobile broadband internet access without evaluating the impact on affordability and consumer choice,” according to the text. The measure also “Prohibits funds from being used to enforce the ‘Prevention and Elimination of Digital Discrimination’ rule.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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