WASHINGTON, July 16, 2015 – The Federal Communications Commission today adopted a plan to modernize the agency’s field operations within the Enforcement Bureau. The proposal will improve efficiency, better position the agency to do effective radio interference detection and resolution and meet other enforcement needs, and save millions of dollars annually after implementation is complete.

The Commission will require all field agents to be electrical engineers, and will continue to operate field offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Columbia (Md.), Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Ore.), and San Francisco. Offices in Anchorage, Buffalo, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Norfolk, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Juan, Seattle, and Tampa will be closed.

The Enforcement Bureau will maintain a field presence in Alaska and Puerto Rico and field agents will also rotate periodically through Kansas City. In addition, three offices will relocate to FCC-owned properties nearby to better utilize agency resources. Finally, rapid deployment teams will be stationed in Columbia (Md.) and Denver to supplement the enforcement efforts of other field offices when necessary and support high-priority enforcement actions nationwide.

The current structure of the FCC’s field operations is over 20 years old, during which time significant technological changes have taken place and available funding has decreased. The new field structure has been adopted by the Commission after the Enforcement Bureau, Office of the Managing Director, and expert outside consultants conducted a thorough, data-driven analysis of the agency’s field operations to maximize the effectiveness of those operations, align them to the overall mission and priorities of the Commission, improve equipment and advanced technologies for field agents, and ensure the most efficient use of the Commission’s resources.

The field reorganization plan adopted by the Commission today aligns the field’s structure, operations, expenses, and equipment with the agency’s priorities such as radio frequency interference. It also prepares the field to address future enforcement needs in an ever more complex spectrum environment, and aligns field operations to support this mission. Through this plan, the Commission is maintaining a commitment to respond in a timely manner to interference issues anywhere in the nation, including responding to all public safety spectrum complaints within one day.