Description:
H.R. 1339 would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review its rules concerning fixed, mobile, and earth exploration satellite service and recommend changes that would promote precision agriculture. The bill would require the FCC to report to the Congress on that review and any associated recommendations within 15 months of enactment. Using information from the FCC, CBO expects that it would need five part-time employees over 15 months to review the relevant rules and report to the Congress, at an average annual cost of $195,000. On that basis, CBO estimates that it would cost the agency $1 million over the 2023-2025 period to implement the bill. However, because the FCC is authorized to collect fees each year sufficient to offset the appropriated costs of its regulatory activities, CBO estimates that the net cost to the FCC would be negligible, assuming appropriation actions consistent with that authority. If the FCC increased fees to offset the costs associated with implementing the bill, H.R. 1339 would increase the cost of an existing mandate on private entities required to pay those fees. CBO estimates that the incremental cost of that mandate would be small and fall below the annual threshold established in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) for private-sector mandates ($198 million in 2023, adjusted annually for inflation).
