FCC Requests $416 Million For Fiscal Year 2026
Agency plans on promoting high-speed internet.
WASHINGTON, June 2, 2025 – The Federal Communications Commission is requesting $416.1 million in fiscal year 2026, to go into effect on October 1, 2025. This request marks a 6.6 percent increase from the FY 2025 budget request, reflecting the FCC’s continued mission to enhance high-speed connectivity throughout America.
The FCC justifies this budget increase as necessary to fulfill the Broadband DATA Act. This Act requires significant funding to carry out as it demands that the FCC “improve the ways it collects, verifies, and reports broadband availability data.”
In contrast to this budget increase, the FCC is proposing a 3 percent decrease in funding for its Spectrum Auction Program, requesting $132 million in funding. The Spectrum Auction Program, which lapsed in March 2023, seeks to allocate federally owned spectrum to commercial bidders.
Also, the FCC’s FY 2026 proposes major staff reductions. Over the past decade, the FCC has decreased its staff from 2,122 FTEs (full-time equivalents) in 1995 to 1,404 FTEs by 2026. This reduction aligns with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s strong initiative to decrease FCC staff, attributing the staff reductions to early retirement, the deferred resignation program, and natural turnover. The FCC’s continued staff reductions represent the Commission’s new emphasis on digital infrastructure. The FCC currently has 1,383 FTEs, Carr said on May 19.
The FCC states that the FY 2026 budget will be used to further the following four strategic goals: Accelerate High-Speed Internet Builds, Promote National Security and Public Safety, Protect Consumers and Promote Free Speech, and Enhance Efficiency, Accountability, and Reduce Waste.
