**FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS**

**COMMISSION**

**Strategic Plan**

**2009-2014**

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**Message from the Chairman**

It is my great pleasure to introduce the Federal Communications
Commission's Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2009 to 2014. This document
was prepared in accordance with the Government Performance and Results
Act of 1993 and outlines the Commission's mission and strategic goals
for the next five years.

In accordance with the requirements of OMB Circular A-11, the Strategic
Plan contains:

-   An overarching mission statement;

-   General goals and objectives defining how the Commission will
    fulfill major segments of its mission;

-   A description of the means and strategies that will be used to
    achieve the general goals and objectives;

-   A description of the relationship between performance goals in the
    annual performance budget and the strategic goal framework;

-   Identification of key factors that could affect achievement of the
    general goals and objectives; and

-   A description of program evaluations used in preparing the Strategic
    Plan and a discussion of future evaluation activities.

I look forward to working closely with Congress, consumers, and the
communications industry as the

Commission implements its plan. We are experiencing a unique time for
the Commission. Communications technologies are moving from an analog to
a digital world, competition is increasing in the communications
marketplace, and the convergence of telecommunications services is
becoming a reality. I believe the strategy outlined in this plan will
allow the Commission to address these and other challenges in the years
to come.

Kevin J. Martin

Chairman

**Table of Contents**

Message from the Chairman
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Mission\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...
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About the Federal Communications Commission
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Strategic
Goals\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...
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> Goal: Broadband
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> Goal:
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> Goal: Spectrum
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> Goal: Media
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> Goal: Public Safety and Homeland Security
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> Goal: Modernize the
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Performance Goals for Each of the Strategic Goals
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Evaluation
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**Mission**

As specified in section one of the Communications Act of 1934, as
amended (the Communications Act) the mission of the Federal
Communications Commission is to "make available, so far as possible, to
all the people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis
of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, rapid, efficient,
Nation-wide and world-wide wire and radio communication service with
adequate facilities at reasonable charges." [^1] In addition, section
one provides that the Commission was created "for the purpose of the
national defense" and "for the purpose of promoting safety of life and
property through the use of wire and radio communications."[^2]

**About the Federal Communications Commission**

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) is an
independent federal agency directly responsible to Congress. The FCC is
charged with regulating interstate and international communications by
radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable.

The FCC is directed by five Commissioners appointed by the President and
confirmed by the Senate for five-year terms. The President designates
one of the Commissioners to serve as Chairman. The Chairman and other
Commissioners oversee FCC activities, delegating selected
responsibilities to seven bureaus and ten staff offices.

The Commission staff is organized by function. The Bureaus'
responsibilities include: processing applications for licenses and other
filings; analyzing complaints; conducting investigations; developing and
implementing regulatory policies; and taking part in hearings. Bureaus
and Offices regularly work together and share expertise in addressing
issues before the Commission. The Bureaus and Offices can be briefly
described as follows:

-   [Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau]{.underline} - educates and
    informs consumers about telecommunications goods and services and
    engages their input to help guide the work of the Commission. CGB
    coordinates telecommunications policy efforts with industry and with
    other governmental agencies \-- federal, tribal, state, and local
    \-- in serving the public interest.

-   [Enforcement Bureau]{.underline} - enforces the Communications Act,
    as well as the Commission's rules, orders, and terms and conditions
    of station authorizations.

-   [International Bureau]{.underline} - represents the Commission in
    satellite and international matters.

-   [Media Bureau]{.underline} - develops, recommends, and administers
    the policy and licensing programs relating to electronic media,
    including cable television, broadcast television, and radio in the
    United States and its territories. The Media Bureau also handles
    post-licensing matters regarding Direct Broadcast Satellite Service.

-   [Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau]{.underline} --
    responsible for all Commission activities pertaining to public
    safety, homeland security, national security, emergency management
    and preparedness, disaster management, communications infrastructure
    security and reliability, and other related issues.

-   [Wireless Telecommunications Bureau]{.underline} -- responsible for
    all FCC domestic wireless telecommunications programs and policies,
    except those involving satellite, public safety communications, or
    broadcasting. Wireless communications include cellular, paging,
    broadband PCS, advanced wireless services, 700 MHz, broadband radio
    service/educational broadband service, microwave, amateur radio, and
    air-ground radiotelephone service.

-   [Wireline Competition Bureau]{.underline} - responsible for rules
    and policies concerning telephone companies that provide interstate,
    and under certain circumstances intrastate, telecommunications
    services to the public through the use of wire-based transmission
    facilities.

-   [Office of Administrative Law Judges]{.underline} - presides over
    hearings and issues Initial Decisions.

-   [Office of Communications Business Opportunities]{.underline} -
    provides advice to the Commission on issues and policies concerning
    opportunities for ownership by small, minority, and women-owned
    communications businesses.

-   [Office of Engineering and Technology]{.underline} - allocates
    spectrum for non-federal use and provides expert advice on technical
    issues before the Commission.

-   [Office of the General Counsel]{.underline} - serves as chief legal
    advisor to the Commission and to its various

> Bureaus and Offices.

-   [Office of Inspector General]{.underline} - conducts and supervises
    audits and investigations relating to the programs and operations of
    the Commission.

-   [Office of Legislative Affairs]{.underline} - serves as the
    Commission's main point of contact with Congress.

-   [Office of the Managing Director]{.underline} - functions as a chief
    operating official, serving under the direction and supervision of
    the Chairman. The Managing Director oversees the Office of the
    Secretary which receives and distributes documents filed by the
    public through electronic and paper filing systems and publishes
    Commission decisions.

-   [Office of Media Relations]{.underline} - informs the news media of
    FCC decisions and serves as the

> Commission's main point of contact with the media.

-   [Office of Strategic Planning & Policy Analysis]{.underline} - works
    with the Chairman, Commissioners, and

> Bureaus and Offices to develop strategic plans identifying short and
> long term policy goals for the Commission.

-   [Office of Workplace Diversity]{.underline} - advises the Commission
    on all issues related to workforce

> diversity, affirmative recruitment, and equal employment opportunity.

**Strategic Goals**

The FCC is responsible to Congress and the American people for ensuring
that an orderly framework exists within which communications products
and services can be quickly and reasonably provided to consumers and
businesses. Equally important, the FCC must also address the
communications aspects of public safety, health, and emergency
operations; ensure the universal availability of basic
telecommunications service; make communications services accessible to
all people; and protect and inform consumers about their rights. The
FCC, in accordance with its statutory authority and in support of its
mission, has established six strategic goals. They are:

**BROADBAND** *All Americans should have affordable access to robust and
reliable broadband products and services. Regulatory policies must
promote technological neutrality, competition, investment, and
innovation to ensure that broadband service providers have sufficient
incentive to develop and offer such products and services.*

**COMPETITION** *Competition in the provision of communications
services, both domestically and overseas, supports the Nation's economy.
The competitive framework for communications services should foster
innovation and offer consumers reliable, meaningful choice in affordable
services.*

**SPECTRUM** *Efficient and effective use of non-federal spectrum
domestically and internationally promotes the growth and rapid
deployment of innovative and efficient communications technologies and
services.*

**MEDIA** *The Nation's media regulations must promote competition,
diversity and localism, and facilitate the transition to digital modes
of delivery.*

**PUBLIC SAFETY AND** *Communications during emergencies and crises must
be*

**HOMELAND SECURITY** *available for public safety, health, defense, and
emergency personnel, as well as all consumers in need. The Nation's
critical communications infrastructure must be reliable, interoperable,
redundant, and rapidly restorable.*

**MODERNIZE THE FCC** *The FCC shall strive to be a highly productive,
adaptive, and innovative organization that maximizes the benefit to
stakeholders, staff, and management from effective systems, processes,
resources, and organizational culture.*

In carrying out its six strategic goals, the FCC has identified
performance goals associated with each strategic goal (see page 20 of
this document). Commission management annually develops targets and
measures related to each performance goal to provide direction toward
accomplishing those goals. Targets and measures are published in the
FCC's Performance Plan, submitted with the Commission's annual budget
request to Congress. Results of the Commission's efforts to meet its
goals, targets and measures are found in the Program Performance section
of each fiscal year's Performance and Accountability Report.

The Sections that follow provide the overall objectives for each of the
strategic goals. In addition, the means and strategies for achieving
these goals and objectives are outlined. Finally, key factors external
to the FCC and beyond its control are identified for each goal. These
key factors can significantly affect the FCC's achievement of its
general goals.

**Goal: Broadband**

***Vision*:** *All Americans should have affordable access to robust and
reliable broadband products and services. Regulatory policies must
promote technological neutrality, competition, investment, and
innovation to ensure that broadband service providers have sufficient
incentive to develop and offer such products and services*

*.*

***Objective 1*: The Commission shall promote the availability of
broadband to all Americans.**

Broadband empowers by providing increased access to information and
applications, and increasingly

affordable means to communicate within communities and around the world.
The Commission shall

continue to encourage and promote broadband development, deployment, and
availability, particularly to

those in rural, low-income, or underserved areas and to persons with
disabilities. The Commission shall seek to understand demand for and
supply of broadband and to encourage deployment across multiple

platforms to ensure that access is not a barrier to adoption of
affordable broadband technologies as they

become available. The Commission shall also foster the availability of
broadband services to the public safety community. To meet this
objective, the Commission shall work in partnership with state, local,
and tribal governments; consumer groups; and industry.

***Objective 2*: The Commission shall define broadband in a
technologically neutral fashion that**

**includes any platform capable of transmitting high-bandwidth intensive
services, applications, and**

**content.**

The definition of broadband shall encompass any advanced
telecommunications capability and

advanced services without regard to how such capability or services are
provided. Thus, it shall include

wireline and wireless, licensed and unlicensed, and terrestrial and
satellite services and facilities. It

should be flexible enough to include future, next-generation high-speed
offerings that may not be in use

today, thus taking into account the continually evolving nature of
broadband technology.

***Objective 3*: The Commission shall ensure harmonized regulatory
treatment of competing**

**broadband services.**

Robust competition among broadband technologies is key to the further
development and maturation of

the advanced services marketplace. The traditional categories of
telecommunications and information

services and providers, and the disparate methods of regulating them,
may no longer be appropriate. The

Commission shall ensure harmonized regulatory treatment of broadband
access services across platforms.

At the same time, the Commission shall ensure that its regulatory
approach does not promote one

technology over another.

***Objective 4*: The Commission shall encourage and facilitate an
environment that stimulates**

**investment and innovation in broadband technologies and services.**

Increased public demand for faster, more robust broadband services shall
stimulate investment and

innovation. The establishment of policies that reward innovation and
investment in facilities and

infrastructure shall lead to further deployment of new advanced
telecommunications capability. The

Commission must strive to achieve a balance between providing incentives
to invest in and develop

broadband technologies and applications, and maintaining competitive
entry and access requirements.

The Commission must be diligent in enforcing any necessary
market-opening regulations to ensure that

all Americans have access to high quality, affordable broadband service,
while at the same time refraining

from any unnecessary regulation.

***Objective 5*: The Commission shall continue to monitor the deployment
of advanced**

**telecommunications capability in order to provide ongoing national and
international policy**

**leadership and consumer education in the emerging broadband arena.**

Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires the
Commission to encourage deployment

of advanced telecommunications capability. To implement this
requirement, the Commission has

undertaken regular inquiries to determine whether such capability is
being deployed to all Americans on a

reasonable and timely basis and to take action, if necessary, to
accelerate broadband deployment. The effective monitoring of
developments in domestic and international broadband deployment is
critical to the Commission's ability to provide policy leadership to
federal, state, local and tribal governments within the United States,
as well as other nations, and to inform consumers about the availability
of and advantages of adopting broadband technologies through outreach
and education. By studying and understanding what drives broadband
adoption in this and other countries, and through participation in
international fora, the Commission will be better able to facilitate
broadband deployment in this country.

***Additional Means and Strategies*:**

The Commission must employ rigorous, effective policy analysis,
innovative rulemaking, and sound

economic decision-making in addressing policies regarding broadband
deployment. Furthermore,

working in partnership with state, local, and tribal governments, the
Commission must facilitate

discussions among key groups of constituents, including industry and
consumer groups, to identify and

establish best practices.

***Factors Affecting the Achievement of This Goal*:**

*Technological*: Despite significant recent developments, broadband
infrastructure is not yet universally

deployed, particularly in rural areas. Some platforms are not suitable
for deployment in certain areas of

the country due to physical impediments. As broadband infrastructure
continues to develop, it appears that an increasing number of
traditional telecommunications services will migrate to broadband
platforms.

*Economic*: From the consumer's perspective, the retail price of
broadband services relative to other

services such as dial-up Internet access has impacted adoption
decisions, despite the availability of

packages offering bundled broadband and other services. Some service
providers argue that regulatory

requirements increase their costs and reduce their incentive to invest
in broadband, placing them at an

economic, and thus competitive, disadvantage. Of particular concern are
those consumers in sparsely

populated areas and specialized demographic groups such as minorities
and the disabled community.

*Legal*: The Commission is in the midst of several proceedings regarding
the appropriate regulation of

broadband services. Changes to legislation and decisions on pending
court cases addressing broadband regulation may affect such regulations,
as well.

*Organizational*: The appropriate policy and regulatory roles for the
Commission in the emerging broadband market must be universally and
clearly understood throughout the Agency.

**Goal: Competition**

***Vision***: *Competition in the provision of communications services,
both domestically and overseas,*

*supports the Nation's economy. The competitive framework for
communications services should foster*

*innovation and offer consumers reliable, meaningful choice in
affordable services.*

***Objective 1:* The Commission shall foster sustainable competition
across the entire communications**

**sector.**

The Commission shall implement and enforce policies that ensure that
U.S. consumers benefit from

competition in domestic and global services. Domestically, the
Commission shall implement rules and

policies that promote open and competitive entry by communications
service providers and place primary

reliance on market forces to stimulate competition, technical
innovation, and development of new

services for the benefit of consumers. The Commission shall seek to
establish a consistent and

transparent regulatory framework across all communications platforms
(*e.g.*, wireline, wireless, satellite,

cable) to encourage both intra-modal and inter-modal competition. The
Commission shall continue to

engage consumers through its outreach and education initiatives to
facilitate informed choice in the

competitive communications marketplace. To ensure that U.S. consumers
benefit from pro-competitive

policies worldwide, the Commission shall promote pro-competitive
policies in discussions with regulators

from other countries, when participating on U.S. government delegations,
and when supporting other U.S.

agencies as they negotiate international agreements that affect
telecommunications. The Commission, in

conformance with existing laws and policies, shall identify and
eliminate market entry barriers for small

entities.

***Objective 2:* The Commission shall promote and advance universal
service domestically, universal**

**access internationally, and access to people with disabilities
worldwide.**

The Commission shall promote universal access to communications services
by promoting competition

and encouraging the deployment of efficient communications technologies.
The Commission shall ensure

that consumers in all regions of the Nation, including rural, insular,
and high cost areas, have access to

telecommunications and information services at rates "reasonably
comparable" to rates for similar

services in urban areas. The Commission shall work to ensure efficient
and effective management of the

Universal Service Fund to provide high-cost, low-income, schools,
libraries, and rural health care with

support and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. The Commission shall
ensure that disbursements from

the fund are used by recipients for appropriate purposes. In addition,
the Commission shall work with

industry, other U.S. government agencies, and the states to ensure that
access to telecommunications

services and technologies are accessible to persons with disabilities in
conformance with existing laws

and policies. The Commission shall engage in regulator-to-regulator
discussions and work with other

U.S. government agencies through appropriate international fora to
promote universal access and access

for people with disabilities globally.

***Additional Means and Strategies:***

The Commission shall continue to collect and evaluate information on
competition in the domestic and

international communications markets. Commission staff shall continually
review the Commission's

rules to determine what rules need to be implemented, revised, or
eliminated to achieve competition

objectives effectively and efficiently. The Commission shall take
appropriate enforcement action to ensure compliance with the competitive
provisions of the Communications Act and the Commission's rules. The
Commission shall continue to monitor trends in consumer complaints and
coordinate with state and other federal agencies in an effort to
identify marketplace practices that negatively affect competition. In
addition to coordinating efforts described above, the Commission shall
seek input from industry,

governmental agencies, and the public concerning issues relevant to
competition. In coordination with

other U.S. government agencies, the Commission shall work with
regulators from other countries to

promote pro-competitive policies and safeguard U.S. consumers from
anti-competitive practices.

***Factors Affecting the Achievement of This Goal:***

*Technological*: New technologies are challenging existing regulatory
structures domestically and

internationally, while enabling consumers to have access to more
services than ever before. For example,

traditional providers of one type of service are increasingly entering
new markets by offering voice,

video, and broadband data services that have the potential to compete
with incumbent providers of such

services. Mobility and personalization are major trends in
communications technology today. Both are

dependent on wireless growth and innovation, as well as ease of
interconnection with traditional

networks. Moreover, technological advances are making it possible to
share spectrum more intensively.

*Legal*: Changes to legislation and decisions on pending court cases may
affect Commission action in this

area. Legal issues related to spectrum rights continue to be contested.

*Organizational*: The Commission must conduct effective policy analysis
and innovative rulemakings,

adopt sound economic decision-making based on access to current and
relevant data in developing

competition policies and rules, and take enforcement action where
necessary. The Commission must

consult with industry and maintain ongoing relationships with regulators
across the country and

throughout the world. The Commission must provide expert guidance to
other U.S. government agencies

regarding communications policy. In order to fulfill its competition
goals, the Commission must continue

to recruit or appropriately redeploy, and retain talented attorneys,
engineers, and economists, and it must

implement a robust training program to maintain proficiency among its
professional staff.

**Goal: Spectrum**

**Vision**: *The Commission must facilitate efficient and effective use
of non-federal spectrum domestically*

*and internationally to promote the growth and rapid deployment of
innovative and efficient*

*communications technologies and services.*

***Objective 1:* The Commission shall develop, advocate, and implement
flexible, market-oriented**

**spectrum allocation and assignment policies.**

The Commission's allocation and assignment of spectrum must continue to
evolve towards more flexible,

market-oriented approaches to increase the opportunity for
technologically innovative and efficient

spectrum use and to ensure adequate spectrum is available for
commercial, public safety, and other

purposes. The Commission shall conduct rulemaking proceedings to enable
new communications

services and more flexible operations within existing services, where
possible, and to ensure that public

safety users have adequate spectrum. The Commission shall also evaluate
and refine, where necessary, its

spectrum assignment policies and procedures, including but not limited
to its auction processes. The

Commission shall work with other regulators around the world to promote
the importance and benefits of

implementing market-oriented spectrum reforms. The Commission shall also
work with the National

Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the
Department of State to develop

proposals for reforming the processes and policies of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU)

so that international spectrum allocations can be updated on a more
timely and flexible basis.

***Objective 2:* The Commission shall develop policies that promote
efficient and effective use of**

**spectrum.**

The Commission, through its rulemaking proceedings, shall take steps to
improve the efficiency and

effectiveness of spectrum use. These steps may include, for example, (1)
accommodating shared use of

spectrum by compatible users; (2) exploring new and innovative licensing
models that reduce entry

barriers; (3) fostering interoperability for public safety
communications; (4) minimizing harmful

interference; and (5) encouraging the development of new technologies,
such as software defined radio,

cognitive radio, dynamic frequency selection, and new protocols (*e.g.*,
Internet Protocol based). The

Commission shall work with regulators outside the U.S. to determine
steps that may be needed, either on

a global, regional, or bi-lateral basis to encourage more efficient
spectrum use.

***Objective 3:* The Commission shall conduct effective and timely
licensing activities, relying on**

**advanced electronic filing and electronic information access
systems.**

The Commission shall encourage and, when appropriate, require electronic
filing of license and other

applications involving spectrum. The Commission shall also update and
improve its electronic filing and

electronic information access systems, as necessary, to streamline and
harmonize its licensing and

coordination processes. Applications that are filed electronically can
be processed more quickly, relying

more on computer automation and to a lesser extent on staff resources,
which often are challenged with

multiple competing priorities. Such disposition of license applications
allows communications service

providers to gain access to spectrum expeditiously so that they are able
to deploy service to American

consumers more rapidly. The Commission shall ensure that its website
continues to provide the public

with the best and most up-to-date information on existing licenses,
pending applications, and licensing

procedures. In addition, the Commission shall work with NTIA, the ITU,
Canada, and Mexico to explore

ways to improve the sharing of electronic information and the
coordination and approval of pending

applications.

***Objective 4:* The Commission shall develop and implement policies
that delineate the rights and**

**responsibilities of both licensed and unlicensed spectrum users,
particularly with respect to harmful**

**interference.**

The Commission shall, where possible, provide for increased sharing of
spectrum between services with

similar technical requirements, while ensuring that highly sensitive
services (*e.g.*, public safety) are

protected from harmful interference. The Commission shall work, through
its rulemaking and other

proceedings, to delineate the rights and responsibilities of spectrum
users so that: 1) the potential for

harmful interference can be minimized, especially for public safety
communications; and 2) opportunities

for new spectrum uses, including both licensed and unlicensed systems
and facilities, can be explored.

The Commission shall work closely with NTIA, as well as regulators in
Mexico, Canada, and other

countries, to identify and resolve instances of harmful interference on
an international basis and to avoid

harmful interference in the future.

***Objective 5:* The Commission shall vigorously enforce its spectrum
regulations and policies.**

The Commission shall vigorously enforce its spectrum regulations and
policies to provide certainty to

spectrum users that they will not be subject to harmful interference by
the use of devices that do not

comply with the Commission's technical rules. The Commission shall also
vigorously enforce its licensing requirements, including, for example,
enforcing EAS rules, enforcing limitations on power output, antenna and
tower height, E-911 requirements, and build out requirements, to ensure
that licensees are using spectrum efficiently and effectively. In
addition, the Commission shall prevent unauthorized use of spectrum
through enforcement action.

***Objective 6:* The Commission shall serve as a dependable information
source for Congress,**

**spectrum users, and regulators around the world on the complex issues
inherent in using our**

**spectrum resources.**

The Commission, as appropriate and upon request, shall provide Congress
and the Executive Branch with

timely and professional advice and information concerning efficient and
effective spectrum utilization.

The Commission shall publish public notices regarding spectrum issues,
keep its spectrum-related web

pages current, and conduct conferences regarding auctions and other
spectrum matters, so that spectrum

users and other consumers have access to licensing and technical
information. The Commission shall

actively participate in the work of the international bodies that deal
with spectrum issues, providing our

expertise, knowledge, and recommended approaches to complex spectrum
issues.

***Additional Means and Strategies:***

Commission personnel shall gain technical knowledge of new technologies
that impact spectrum use. In

addition to the coordinating activities above, the Commission shall lead
discussions with industry,

government agencies, and the public concerning spectrum issues.

***Factors Affecting the Achievement of This Goal:***

*Technological*: Explosive growth in new technologies \-- particularly
handheld and wireless devices \-- has

driven demand for new spectrum allocations. Increasing demand for
spectrum requires new and

innovative management techniques to allocate, assign, and use spectrum
more efficiently and effectively.

Methods for avoiding and mitigating harmful interference, and increasing
opportunities for spectrum

sharing and re-use, require further study.

*Economic*: The competing demands for spectrum require trade-offs
between users, including commercial,

public safety, and homeland security. Where spectrum relocation is
desirable, crafting economic

incentives for incumbent spectrum users to relocate continues to be
challenging.

*Legal*: Legislation could impact the FCC's spectrum management
policies. Jurisdictional issues between

the agencies charged with spectrum management (in particular NTIA and
FCC) and competing demands

might lead to new ways to achieve more efficient spectrum management.
Differences among

international and domestic spectrum allocation policies may lead to
disparity and inconsistency among

U.S. and foreign licensing processes.

*Organizational*: The FCC requires substantial investment in human
capital to maintain its expertise and

needs to upgrade and replace technical equipment to appropriately deal
with spectrum issues and enforce

its rules regarding interference and other technical requirements. The
Commission must maintain an

experienced, educated, and knowledgeable technical, legal, and economic
staff that is able to keep pace

with technological developments and trends, and promote the
implementation of new spectrum

management techniques and policies.

**Goal: Media**

***Vision***: *The Nation's media regulations must promote competition,
diversity and localism, and facilitate the transition to digital modes
of delivery.*

***Objective 1:* The Commission shall develop media rules and policies
that achieve statutory policy**

**objectives in light of significant changes to traditional media
services***.*

Increased competition, changing ownership patterns, converging markets
and industries, and deployment

of new technologies have challenged both the legal and economic
foundations of the Commission's media

regulation. The Commission shall examine current rules and make changes
as required to accommodate

the policy goals of competition, diversity, and localism within the
evolving media landscape. The

Commission shall review its closed captioning and access to emergency
information rules to determine

whether the existing rules are adequately serving the needs of
individuals with disabilities, and as the

digital transition is completed, whether the applicable rules continue
to do so.

***Objective 2:* The Commission shall encourage the timely development
and deployment of digital**

**services.**

The Commission shall continue to provide strong leadership in the
transition to digital television and radio, adopting, defending, and
enforcing regulations that expeditiously advance the digital transition.
In collaboration with industry, consumers, and regulators, the
Commission shall seek innovative ways to facilitate the digital
transition and bring new services to consumers. The Commission shall
support industry resolution of technical issues. The Commission shall
review technical rules and resolve and enforce operational issues of
media service providers in a timely manner. The Commission shall
actively promote the development of television and radio standards in
international fora.

***Objective 3:* The Commission shall enforce compliance with media
rules.**

The Commission shall enforce compliance with rules that apply to media
services. The Commission shall

investigate alleged violations and take enforcement action, where
appropriate.

***Factors Affecting the Achievement of This Goal:***

*Technological:* Advances in technology create the potential for
significant increases in media outlets

available to the public. Integration of technology platforms makes the
transition to digital television and

radio technologically challenging and requires coordination among
various industries.

*Economic*: Ongoing changes in the methods of delivering news and
entertainment programming may

introduce economic uncertainty and thus, risk, into communications
markets. Economic factors may spur consolidation within the media
industries that could potentially affect competition, diversity and
localism. In addition, the transition to digital delivery modes has
required significant up-front financial investment from content
providers, service outlets, and equipment suppliers prior to full
roll-out of the technology and eventual recouping of investment.

*Legal*: Court decisions have affected the FCC's media ownership rules.
Congress has mandated

continued review of these rules, which may result in further court
challenges. Similarly, Congress has

mandated a transition to DTV that will require coordination with all
aspects of the distribution system.

Court challenges of FCC rules and policies to advance the DTV transition
may also result. To

accommodate the Commission's goals, existing bilateral agreements and
treaties will need to be modified

and new agreements will need to be negotiated with Canada and Mexico.

*Organizational*: Commission personnel must have access to current data
on industry and forecasts of

future economic trends in order to conduct rigorous and effective policy
analysis. The digital transition

requires continuing education of FCC technical staff to maintain an
up-to-date understanding of

developments in communications technology. Moreover, to the extent the
number of consumer complaints against broadcast stations continues to
grow, the FCC must have sufficient personnel (*e.g.*, attorneys and
consumer advocacy and mediation specialists) and technological resources
to efficiently process such complaints in a timely manner. The FCC will
also need to maintain sufficient technical personnel (*e.g.*, engineers)
to enforce compliance with technical and operational rules in a timely
manner.

**Goal: Public Safety and Homeland Security**

***Vision***: *Communications during emergencies and crises must be
available for public safety, health,*

*defense, and emergency personnel, as well as all consumers in need. The
Nation's critical*

*communications infrastructure must be reliable, interoperable,
redundant, and rapidly restorable.*

***Objective 1:* The Commission shall develop policies that promote
access to effective**

**communications services in emergency situations by public safety,
health, defense, and other**

**emergency personnel, as well as all consumers in need.**

The Commission shall ensure that every segment of the U.S.
communications industry, \-- digital and

analog, wired and wireless, terrestrial and satellite, IP and non-IP \--
regardless of networks and

technologies, does all it can to enhance public safety and homeland
security. The Commission shall

facilitate the deployment of 911services and technologies to all
appropriate communications networks and

technologies. The Commission shall also take steps to ensure that all
segments of the communications

industry have the capability to provide effective and technologically
up-to-date public alerts and warnings

to the American public, including those provided through the Emergency
Alert System (EAS). Through

these efforts, the Commission shall ensure that all consumers, including
consumers with disabilities, have

access to emergency communications.

The Commission shall take actions necessary to eliminate interference to
public safety radio

transmissions that endangers public safety, health, defense, and
emergency personnel and the public. The

Commission shall also review with its industry and government partners
ways to ensure that there is

sufficient spectrum available for public safety communications, and
shall consider whether commercial

services and technologies may be used to more effectively address public
safety communications needs.

The Commission shall promote and facilitate participation in priority
service programs, such as

Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) and Wireless Priority Service
(WPS), which provide national

security and emergency preparedness users priority telecommunications
services that are vital to

coordinating and responding to crises. The Commission shall promote and
facilitate participation in the

EAS by the full range of communications providers. In addition, the
Commission shall effectively

enforce its interference, public safety, and EAS rules.

***Objective 2:* The Commission shall evaluate and strengthen measures
for protecting the Nation's**

**critical communications infrastructure.**

The Commission shall provide strong leadership to industry and other
governmental agencies in the

protection of the Nation's critical communications infrastructure. The
Commission must explore all

available ways to work collaboratively with industry to increase network
diversity and redundancy and

maximize the availability, interoperability, and reliability of all
communications. The Commission shall

work with industry and government both at home and abroad to establish
Best Practices that should be

adopted by communications providers.

***Objective 3:* The Commission's policies shall facilitate rapid
restoration of the U.S. communications**

**infrastructure and facilities after disruption by any cause.**

Protection of the Nation's critical communications infrastructure
requires that the Commission adopt

policies to ensure rapid restoration of communications after disruptions
due to any cause. The

Commission shall work collaboratively with industry, other governmental
agencies, and foreign

counterparts to coordinate and engage in outreach to develop standards
for Emergency

Telecommunications Services (ETS); to increase awareness of the TSP and
WPS programs; to stimulate

participation in the TSP and WPS programs by 911 Centers, first
responders, and federal, state, tribal, and

local governmental agencies; to propose ways of making TSP and WPS
participation more affordable; to

identify obstacles to TSP and WPS participation; and to recommend
changes to overcome such obstacles.

The Commission shall also work collaboratively with the satellite
industry and other governmental

agencies to identify and ensure the availability of facilities for
restoration of satellite and other services.

In addition, the Commission shall explore all available ways to ensure
that all emerging technologies,

networks, and services are reliable, interoperable, redundant, and
rapidly restorable.

***Objective 4:* The Commission shall coordinate with industry and other
federal, state, tribal, and**

**local agencies on matters of public safety, homeland security, and
disaster management.**

Over 90 percent of the Nation's communications infrastructure is
privately owned. Cooperation and

coordination among industry, public safety organizations, and federal,
tribal, state, and local governments

is therefore essential to the successful nationwide implementation of
critical infrastructure protection,

public safety communications interoperability, and effective public
alert and warning systems.

Accordingly, the Commission shall coordinate with private industry to
develop policies that will further

the vision, goals, and objectives of public safety, homeland security,
and disaster management.

In order to support national security, emergency preparedness,
infrastructure protection, and

interoperability in public safety communications in the communications
sector, the Commission shall

work collaboratively and coordinate on outreach with other federal
agencies, such as the Department of

Homeland Security, NTIA, the Office of Science and Technology Policy,
and with state, tribal, local and

foreign governments to implement proper and effective spectrum
management, develop rules and policies

aimed at promoting and improving nationwide interoperability for public
safety communications, and to

continue to develop a technologically up-to-date EAS. Coordination shall
include outreach, particularly to the public safety community, and
participating in intergovernmental and industry committees, task forces,
and bilateral and international venues. The Commission should work with
these groups as partners and strive to communicate with affected
industry and governmental groups in advance of proposed public safety,
homeland security, and disaster management policy initiatives to solicit
input at the early stages of the decision making process. The Commission
shall continue to coordinate with the Executive Branch on transactions
that involve foreign investment in the U.S. licensees.

***Objective 5:* The Commission must act swiftly in matters affecting
public safety, homeland security,**

**and disaster management.**

The Commission shall always strive to be responsive to all issues,
disputes, appeals, and other matters

brought to the attention of the Commission. In matters regarding public
safety, homeland security, and

disaster management, the Commission shall strive to act swiftly and
responsively. The Commission shall

act expeditiously to respond to the public safety and homeland security
issues raised by first responders,

governments, communications providers, and consumers. In the event of
crises or disasters, the

Commission shall closely coordinate with industry and other governmental
agencies to ensure that

communications for governmental agencies, first responders, industry,
consumers, and the disabled

community are maintained at the appropriate level and that restoration
efforts commence immediately.

***Objective 6:* The Commission shall participate in international
organizations and conferences to**

**coordinate protection of the global communications infrastructure.**

The communications networks of the United States are part of a larger
interconnected global

communications infrastructure. The Commission shall work with other U.S.
agencies and private

industry in bilateral and multilateral venues to share information about
U.S. preparedness with foreign

government and private sector participants.

***Additional Means and Strategies:***

Appropriate Commission personnel shall gain technical knowledge of
public safety, homeland security,

and disaster management issues, including the impact of various spectrum
uses on interference, of new or

evolving technologies, and of existing and proposed best practices for
communications providers.

Commission staff shall continually review the Commission's rules to
determine what rules need to be

implemented, revised, or eliminated to provide effectively and
efficiently for public safety and homeland

security matters.

***Factors Affecting the Achievement of This Goal:***

*Technological*: The U.S. economy and society is increasingly dependent
on globally interconnected

communications technologies. Today's interconnected communications
technologies are subject to an

increasing number of threats -- natural, man-made, physical and cyber.
In addition, the face of

communications is changing as new technologies and services are rapidly
developed and deployed. The

challenge is to craft public safety and homeland security rules
sufficiently flexible to ensure that evolving

technologies and services develop in a manner consistent with the
public's safety, and that those rules do

not hinder technological innovation or impede the market forces that
allow innovative services to thrive.

Networks are interconnected globally, and in the case of satellite
networks, may operate outside the

territorial reach of any nation. As a result, networks must be protected
from actions initiated outside the

United States. Ensuring the reliability and the safety of our critical
systems and networks from such

actions requires a system of international cooperation to facilitate
information sharing, reduce

vulnerabilities, deter malicious actors, protect information security,
and promote a global culture of

security.

*Economic*: The globally interconnected nature of many of today's
communications technologies is a

significant contributing factor to the growth of the U.S. economy, but
that interconnection also exposes

the network to a wider variety of threats. The current economic climate
may make it difficult for

communications infrastructure providers to commit large sums of money to
the wholesale improvement

of network protection and redundancy. Again, a challenge is how to
provide for homeland security and

public safety without stifling innovation or rendering it uneconomical.

*Legal*: Legislation, ongoing proceedings, and shared oversight and
responsibility for spectrum by federal

agencies may affect the spectrum efficiency standards applicable to
public safety and homeland security

entities as well as the availability of spectrum for services that play
a role in homeland security and public

safety. A lack of legal means for protecting information on
vulnerabilities from public disclosure via

FOIA may discourage service providers from complete candor in
discussions with the Commission.

*Organizational*: The Commission must continually update its knowledge
to fully understand national and

international implications of the threats to communications technologies
that arise under public safety,

homeland security, and disaster management scenarios. This requires
substantial human expertise and

resources. Accordingly, the Commission must maintain an experienced,
educated, and knowledgeable

technical and legal staff that is able to stay abreast of technological
and policy developments and trends.

The Commission must maintain ongoing, highly integrated relationships
with the communications

industries; other federal regulators; and state, tribal, and local
regulators who are heavily involved in the

use of spectrum as it relates to public safety. With respect to
satellite services, the FCC must continually

update its knowledge and maintain ongoing relationships with the
satellite industry and other government

agencies concerning specialized technical issues that might impact the
availability or reliability of space-based services.

**Goal: Modernize the FCC**

***Vision***: *The FCC shall strive to be a highly productive, adaptive,
and innovative organization that*

*maximizes the benefit to stakeholders, staff, and management from
effective systems, processes,*

*resources, and organizational culture.*

***Objective 1:* The Commission shall structure the FCC so that it can
flexibly respond to Congress,**

**consumers, and the communications industry in a timely manner.**

The Commission's regulations touch industries at the vanguard of
technological development -- media,

telecommunications, and information services. To carry out its mission
effectively, the Commission must

ensure that its processes, procedures, and systems are integrated,
reliable, and user-friendly. The

Commission must also communicate clearly, openly, and interactively with
the public, Congress, the

Administration, other government agencies, and the media about trends in
and impacts of various

communication technologies so these groups might actively participate in
the Commission's decision-making process. The Commission shall maximize
the use of modern, user-friendly information

technologies as part of these communications.

***Objective2*: The Commission shall offer employees educational and
advancement opportunities**.

The Commission shall provide and sustain mission-critical training and
development in order to ensure

excellence among a diverse and expert staff. The Commission recognizes
the importance of our

employees' quality of work life on and off the job and shall work to
address the diverse range of needs.

The Commission shall also seek the resources and appropriate tools to
ensure its staff is physically

protected, maintaining a safe and secure work environment.

***Additional Means and Strategies:***

The Commission shall develop and implement processes to recognize and
reward effective, results-oriented management. It shall also identify
ways to leverage and integrate technology in order to

eliminate unnecessary redundancy, and improve stakeholder satisfaction.
The Commission shall continue

to hire or redeploy, train, equip, and retain a diverse and expert staff
essential to the FCC's critical

functions.

Additionally, the Commission shall establish and operate internal and
external information gathering and

sharing programs that anticipate and respond to the evolving nature of
the communications marketplace.

***Factors Affecting the Achievement of This Goal:***

*Technological*: Organizational and informational technologies change
rapidly in today's world. This

requires organizations to put processes in place that provide for timely
introduction, upgrade, or

replacement of technologies. The Commission must put forward a long-term
vision for the strategic use

of technology, while appropriately balancing the flexible introduction
of performance-enhancing

technologies with transparent and accountable management of all
resources. Ensuring that the

Commission has access to the human resources necessary to properly plan,
implement, and evaluate the

use of these technologies is a complementary factor affecting the
achievement of the Commission's

organizational excellence goal.

*Economic*: The Commission has many opportunities to improve stakeholder
and employee satisfaction

and effective mission accomplishment through the introduction of new or
the integration of existing

systems and processes.

*Legal*: As communications technologies rapidly develop and are
introduced into the marketplace,

changes to legislation may affect satisfaction of this goal.

*Organizational*: Carrying out the mission of the FCC requires highly
trained, expert staff capable of

assessing and understanding technological and industry trends and
enforcing technical requirements with

up-to-date technological tools. Recruiting, hiring, redeploying,
training, motivating, and retaining such a

staff is a challenge that the Commission is working hard to meet. By
continuing to develop and enhance

an organizational culture that embraces communication, accountability,
and learning, the Commission

shall be able to plan and carry out effective change management programs
that will lead to full

achievement of its goal of modernizing the FCC.

**Performance Goals for Each of the Strategic Goals**

For its six strategic goals, the FCC has established twenty performance
goals:

**Broadband:**

-   Broaden the deployment of broadband technologies.

-   Define broadband to include any platform capable of transmitting
    high-bandwidth intensive

> services, applications, and content.

-   Ensure harmonized regulatory treatment of competing broadband
    services.

-   Encourage and facilitate an environment that stimulates investment
    and innovation in

> broadband technologies and services.

**Competition:**

-   Promote access to telecommunications services for all Americans.

-   Ensure that American consumers can choose among multiple reliable
    and affordable

> communications services.

-   Promote pro-competitive and universal access policies worldwide.

-   Work to inform American consumers about their rights and
    responsibilities in the competitive

> communications marketplace.

-   Enforce the Commission's rules for the benefit of consumers.

**Spectrum:**

-   Ensure that the Nation's spectrum is used efficiently and
    effectively.

-   Advocate U.S. spectrum interests in the international arena.

-   Enforce the Commission's spectrum regulations and policies.

**Media:**

-   Develop media rules and policies that achieve statutory policy
    objectives in light of significant changes to traditional media
    services.

-   Enforce compliance with media rules.

**Public Safety and Homeland Security:**

-   Promote the reliability, security, rapid restoration, and
    survivability of the communications infrastructure.

-   Facilitate deployment of public safety technology.

-   Establish and maintain a clearinghouse of information for the public
    safety community.

**Modernize the FCC**

-   Become an easier organization to do business with by integrating
    systems, processes, and

> interfaces.

-   Create and sustain an organizational culture that encourages
    innovation, accountability, and

> continual improvement.

-   Ensure effective communications with consumers, Congress, the
    communications industry, and

> fellow federal, state, tribal, and local agencies.

**Evaluation Plans**

The FCC is dedicated to ensuring that both the mission and resources
entrusted to it are properly and

effectively managed. The performance of the FCC is evaluated in several
ways. The Commission issues an annual Performance and Accountability
Report which contains financial and program performance information. For
fiscal years 2006 and 2007, the FCC received an unqualified financial
audit opinion with no material weaknesses affecting its financial
operations. The Commission will continue to strive for high quality
financial and performance management as part of its dedication to the
proper stewardship of resources.

The Commission's programs have also been evaluated through the Program
Assessment and Rating Tool (PART). The FCC has improved or is in the
process of improving its Universal Service Fund programs (Schools and
Libraries/E-Rate, High Cost, Low Income and Rural Healthcare), and the
Telecommunications Relay Service program through lessons learned in the
PART evaluation process. The Commission and the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) also completed a PART evaluation of its program "Auctions
of Licenses for Electromagnetic Spectrum" in 2006. In 2008, the FCC and
OMB completed a PART evaluation of its overall regulatory program,
titled "Federal Communications Commission -- Salaries and Expenses."
Details on these evaluations can be found at
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/>

**Public Comments**

In a public notice (DA 08-1472) released June 24, 2008, the FCC
announced that members of the public were invited to review a draft of
the Strategic Plan for 2009-2014 and provide comments by July 24, 2008.
The Commission received four public comments which were reviewed and
considered. We incorporated comments where they helped to clarify
explanatory portions of the Plan. Those who are concerned with the broad
and general nature of the Strategic Plan are encouraged to review the
Commission's Performance and Accountability Reports and the FCC
Performance Plans located within the agency's budget estimates to
Congress to obtain more specific details. These documents are located on
the Commission's web site at <http://www.fcc.gov/omd/strategicplan/>. As
the Federal government approaches a change in presidential
administrations in 2009, and faces new priorities stemming from legal
and technological change, we invite all interested members of the public
to visit the FCC home page at <http://www.fcc.gov/> for information on
the Commission's initiatives to meet the challenges of the dynamic
telecommunications environment.

[^1]: 47 U.S.C. § 151.

[^2]: *Id.*