The FCC has adopted an order establishing a new unit within the Commission tasked with ensuring that economic analysis is deeply and consistently incorporated as part of the agency’s regular operations. Specifically, the Commission’s rules will be amended to allow for the creation of four divisions within the new unit: Economic Analysis, Industry Analysis, Auctions, and Data. The new unit and its underlying divisions will retain economists, attorneys, and data professionals from across the Commission. The Office of Economic Analysis (OEA), as it will be formally known, will have the authority to: (a) provide economic analysis for rulemakings, transactions, adjudications, and other Commission actions; (b) develop policies and strategies to manage the FCC’s data resources and establish best practices for use throughout the FCC in coordination with FCC Bureaus and Offices; (c) manage the FCC’s auctions in support of and in coordination with other Bureaus and Offices; and (4) conduct long-term research on ways to improve the Commission policies and processes.
