Record Shutdown Leaves Communications Agencies Strained Despite Senate Action

The Senate advanced a stopgap funding bill that could end the nation’s longest government shutdown, as almost all aspects of federal government faced some measure of disruption after 40 days without funding. The shutdown, which began Oct 1 after Congress failed to pass fiscal 2026 appropriations, stalled many aspects of operations at the Federal Communications Commission, the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, and other agencies and departments. The FCC furloughed more than 80 percent of its staff, leaving 171 of 1,476 employees to handle interference detection and emergency communications support.