FCC’s $398 Million Budget Request May Cut 110 Jobs

Here’s what the FCC’s FY2027 budget submission reveals:

FCC FY2027 Budget Request: Key Details

The numbers: The FCC requested $398.3 million in budget authority from regulatory fee revenue for FY2027, a 4.3% reduction from the FY2026 enacted level of $416.1 million, according to TV Technology. Total spending on salaries and expenses would also fall, from $548.8 million to $531.0 million.

The staffing cuts: The FCC projects its full-time equivalent headcount will drop to 1,294 FTEs in FY2027, down from 1,404 in FY2026 — a reduction of 110 positions. The agency says it will achieve this through “planned and early retirements and other attrition,” not layoffs. For context, the FCC had 2,122 FTEs in 1995; this would mark yet another historic low.

Spectrum auctions: The FCC also requested $132.7 million for its Spectrum Auctions Program, flat with the FY2026 enacted level.

Broader Context

This FY2027 request is part of a multi-year staffing contraction under Chairman Brendan Carr. The FCC shed 74 FTEs going into FY2026 (down to 1,404), and the 110-position FY2027 reduction would continue that trajectory. The strategy reflects a deliberate shift toward tech-driven oversight — leaning on IT modernization and automated compliance tools rather than headcount.

Worth noting: Congress has not always followed the FCC’s budget lead. For FY2026, House appropriators kept the FCC’s budget flat at $390.2 million rather than granting the requested $416 million increase, so the FY2027 request still faces a legislative gauntlet.