Hastings, Nebraska
Hastings is a city and county seat of Adams County, United States. The population was 24,907 at the 2010 census, it is known as the town where Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in 1927, celebrates that event with the Kool-Aid Days festival every August. Hastings is known for Fisher Fountain, during World War II operated the largest Naval Ammunition Depot in the United States, it was chosen because of it centralized location from North to South and East and West in the country. This made it quicker to send ammunition by train to. Hastings was founded in 1872 at the intersection of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad and the St. Joseph and Denver City Railroad, it was named for Colonel D. T. Hastings of the St. Joseph and Grand Island Railroad, instrumental in building the railroad through Adams County; the area was open plain: the Donner party passed through on its way to California in 1846 and a pioneer cemetery marker in Hastings bears an inscription taken from Tamsen Donner's journal: "The country between the Blue and the Platte is beautiful beyond compare.
Never have I seen so varied a country so suitable to cultivation." In the 1870s, railroads lured European immigrants to the new state of Nebraska with advertisements. Hastings' first settlers were English, from Liverpool, were joined by other English, Germans and Germans from Russia. Between 1872 and 1880, when the population had grown to 2,800, Hastings was a boomtown. Settlers first built sod houses and shanties houses and stores; the city was incorporated in April 1874, in September 1878, after a five-year Great County Seat War, the county seat was transferred to Hastings from Juniata. However, a fire in 1879 destroyed 33 buildings downtown; the city was rebuilt between 1880 and 1890 in fireproof materials and in a more planned fashion, with characteristically ornate Victorian buildings, many designed by Charles C. Rittenhouse, the first practicing architect in Adams County and mayor for ten years. Thanks to the railroads, the city enjoyed great prosperity during the Gilded Age; the population grew to 13,500.
This period of expansion ended with the drought and agricultural depression of the 1890s. Hastings saw renewed growth from 1900 to 1930, reflected by buildings in the Craftsman, Colonial Revival, American Foursquare styles; the leading Arts and Crafts architect was Claude W. Way. Hastings had four brickyards and in 1911 was producing more bricks than any other city in Nebraska, all the paving bricks. During this period, the city became known as the cigar-making capital of Nebraska; the largest cigar factory, the Kipp Cigar Company, was by 1921 hand-rolling one-fifth of all cigars produced in Nebraska. Cigars lost their popularity to cigarettes between the two World Wars, in the 1930s the Great Depression again brought the town's expansion to a halt. In 1942, the Naval Ammunition Depot was constructed, initiating explosive growth: Hastings' population grew from 15,000 to 23,000 in under a year and there was a critical shortage of housing, which prompted both alteration of existing housing stock and rapid construction of new neighborhoods.
Once World War II ended, staff was reduced at the ammunition depot, bringing Hastings' last growth period to an end in 1950, the depot closed. Today, Heartwell Park and Central Hastings, two of the oldest neighborhoods, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the Hastings Symphony Orchestra performs in the Chautauqua Pavilion, built in 1907 and on the National Register of Historic Places, while the Hastings Community Theatre performs in the auditorium of the former Spencer Park School, built during the housing shortage of the 1940s. The city has adapted several of its historic buildings to new uses. Central Community College is housed in buildings of the former Naval Ammunition Depot. St. Michael's Elementary School, built in 1912, is now the police headquarters; the Clarke Hotel, built in 1914 and on the National Register of Historic Places, is now the Kensington, a home for senior citizens. Spencer Park, an 840-unit "village" built to house workers in the 1940s, is now Good Samaritan Retirement Village.
On June 24, 2007, Hastings won Yahoo's Greenest City in America competition. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.66 square miles, of which 13.48 square miles is land and 0.18 square miles is water. A National Weather Service Forecast Office is located in Hastings, serving central and south-central Nebraska and six counties in north-central Kansas; the data below are from the WRCC. Hastings is the principal city of the Hastings, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Adams and Clay counties; as of the census of 2010, there were 24,907 people, 10,110 households, 6,160 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,847.7 inhabitants per square mile. There were 10,847 housing units at an average density of 804.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 90.4% White, 1.0% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.0% from other races, 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.8% of the population.
There were 10,110 households of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, 39.1% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or o
Kearney, Nebraska
Kearney is a city in and the county seat of Buffalo County, United States. The population was 30,787 at the 2010 census, it is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave birth to the community. Kearney is located at 40°42′3″N 99°4′52″W. Strategically located on I-80 with convenient access to major markets like Omaha-Lincoln, Kansas City, Des Moines and Cheyenne, Kearney is at the center of a 7-state region and 20 million people. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.00 square miles, of which, 12.77 square miles is land and 0.23 square miles is water. Kearney is the principal city of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Buffalo and Kearney counties; as of the census of 2010, there were 30,787 people, 12,201 households, 7,015 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,410.9 inhabitants per square mile. There were 12,738 housing units at an average density of 997.5 per square mile.
The racial makeup of the city was 92.3% White, 1.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 3.1% from other races, 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.3% of the population. There were 12,201 households of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, 42.5% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the city was 29 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 29,952 people, 10,549 households, 6,160 families residing in the city; the population density was 2,498.5 people per square mile. There were 11,099 housing units at an average density of 1,010.9 per square mile.
The racial makeup of the city was 95.18% White, 0.63% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.68% from other races, 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.08% of the population. There were 10,549 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.6% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 23.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,829, the median income for a family was $46,650.
Males had a median income of $30,150 versus $22,366 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,713. About 7.4% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over. The original settlement in the area was called Dobytown, located 2 miles southeast of the present-day Kearney; the city was moved and renamed after the nearby Fort Kearny, a United States Army outpost along the Oregon Trail in the middle of the 19th century. The fort was named after Colonel Stephen W. Kearny; the "e" was added by mistake sometime afterwards by postmen who misspelled the town name. The current location of the city is on the north side of the Platte River and grew as a result of the influence of the railroad. In 1912, a Catholic Diocese was centered here; this status was removed with the creation of other dioceses. In 1997, the city began to be used; the council-manager form is used in Kearney. The City Council makes policy-making decisions.
There are five members elected citywide to serve four-year terms. The council manager form of government was adopted in 1950. Michael W. Morgan serves as city manager; the council appoints a city manager to implement policies, prepare a budget, appoints department heads, recommends areas that the council needs to attend. There are five members elected citywide serving staggered four-year terms. One member of the City Council is chosen by the council to be Mayor. Stanley Clouse is the Mayor. Kearney Public Schools operates 3 preschools, 12 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, Kearney High School Zion Lutheran School Faith Christian School of Kearney Kearney West High School, at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center Kearney Catholic High School University of Nebraska at Kearney is located in the city; the campus is a 235-acre residential campus with more than 37 buildings. It was founded in 1905 as Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney and became Nebraska State Teachers College in 1921.
Between 1963 and 1991 the school was known as Kearney State College. The college's name was changed to University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1991 when it joined the University of Nebraska system
Decatur County, Kansas
Decatur County is a county located in Northwest Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 2,961, its county seat and most populous city is Oberlin. The county is named in honor of Jr.. For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau. In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U. S. state. Decatur County was established March 20, 1873 and organized on December 15, 1879, it is named for the Navy war hero Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr. who served during the First Barbary War and the Second Barbary War and the War of 1812.
Oberlin was the site of the last Native American Raid in Kansas. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 894 square miles, of which 894 square miles is land and 0.6 square miles is water. Red Willow County, Nebraska Furnas County, Nebraska Norton County Sheridan County Thomas County Rawlins County As of the 2000 census, there were 3,472 people, 1,494 households, 981 families residing in the county; the population density was 4 people per square mile. There were 1,821 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile; the racial makeup of the county was 97.87% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population. There were 1,494 households out of which 25.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 5.60% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.30% were non-families.
32.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.50% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.83. In the county, the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 4.70% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, 26.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,257, the median income for a family was $34,982. Males had a median income of $25,139 versus $17,368 for females; the per capita income for the county was $16,348. About 8.00% of families and 11.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 6.30% of those age 65 or over. Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 2002, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.
Oberlin USD 294 Prairie Heights USD 295, dissolved as of July 1, 2006. Clayton Dresden Jennings Norcatur Oberlin Allison Cedar Bluffs Kanona Leoville Lyle Traer Decatur County is divided into twenty-five townships; the city of Oberlin is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size. Handbook of Decatur County, Kansas. S. Burch Publishing Co. Standard Atlas of Decatur County, Kansas. A. Ogle & Co. Standard Atlas of Decatur County, Kansas. A. Ogle & Co. CountyDecatur County - Official Decatur County - Directory of Public OfficialsMapsDecatur County Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT Kansas Railroad Maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society
Effective radiated power
Effective radiated power, synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would have to be radiated by a half-wave dipole antenna to give the same radiation intensity as the actual source at a distant receiver located in the direction of the antenna's strongest beam. ERP measures the combination of the power emitted by the transmitter and the ability of the antenna to direct that power in a given direction, it is equal to the input power to the antenna multiplied by the gain of the antenna. It is used in electronics and telecommunications in broadcasting to quantify the apparent power of a broadcasting station experienced by listeners in its reception area. An alternate parameter that measures the same thing is effective isotropic radiated power. Effective isotropic radiated power is the total power that would have to be radiated by a hypothetical isotropic antenna to give the same signal strength as the actual source in the direction of the antenna's strongest beam.
The difference between EIRP and ERP is that ERP compares the actual antenna to a half-wave dipole antenna, while EIRP compares it to a theoretical isotropic antenna. Since a half-wave dipole antenna has a gain of 1.64, or 2.15 decibels compared to an isotropic radiator, if ERP and EIRP are expressed in watts their relation is E I R P = 1.64 ⋅ E R P If they are expressed in decibels E I R P = E R P + 2.15 Effective radiated power and effective isotropic radiated power both measure the amount of power a radio transmitter and antenna radiates in a specific direction: in the direction of maximum signal strength of its radiation pattern. This maximum radiated power is dependent on two factors: the total power output and the radiation pattern of the antenna – how much of that power is radiated in the desired direction; the latter factor is quantified by the antenna gain, the ratio of the signal strength radiated by an antenna to that radiated by a standard antenna. For example, a 1,000-watt transmitter feeding an antenna with a gain of 4 will have the same signal strength in the direction of its main lobe, thus the same ERP and EIRP, as a 4,000-watt transmitter feeding an antenna with a gain of 1.
So ERP and EIRP are measures of radiated power that can compare different combinations of transmitters and antennas on an equal basis. The difference between ERP and EIRP is that antenna gain has traditionally been measured in two different units, comparing the antenna to two different standard antennas; the decibel gain relative to an isotropic antenna is given by G = 10 log S max S max,isotropic Dipole gain is the ratio of the power density received from the antenna in the direction of its maximum radiation to the power density S max,dipole received from a lossless half-wave dipole antenna in the direction of its maximum radiation G d = S max S max,dipole The decibel gain relative to a dipole is given by G = 10 log S max S max,dipole In contrast to an isotropic antenna, the dipole has a "donut-shaped" radiation pattern, its radiated power is maximum in directions perpendicular to the antenna, declining to zero on the antenna axis. Since the radiation of the dipole is concentrated in horizontal directions, the gain of a half-wave dipole is greater than that of an isotropic antenna.
The isotropic gain of a half-wave dipole is 1.64, or in decibels 10 log 1.64 = 2.15 dBi, so G i = 1.64 G d In decibels G = G + 2.15 {\displ
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 46 daily newspapers in 21 states, more than 300 weekly and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises is based in Davenport, Iowa; the company provides online services, including websites supporting its daily newspapers and other publications. Lee had more than 25 million unique web and mobile visitors monthly, with 209.1 million pages viewed. Lee became majority partner of TownNews.com in 1996. The company offers commercial printing services to its customers. Lee Enterprises is the fourth largest newspaper group in the United States of America; the company acquired Howard Publications for $694 million in 2002 and Pulitzer, Inc. for $1.5 billion in 2005. From January 2012 to April 2017, the company's executive chairman, Mary Junck, was chairman of the Associated Press. In December 2018, Lee Enterprises announced that Mary Junck would transition from Executive Chairman to Chairman of the company. In December 2018, activist investor Carlo Cannell of Cannell Capital revealed a position in the company and spoke publicly about his desire to turn around the company's operations.
The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011. It emerged from bankruptcy less than two months later. In April 2012, Warren Buffett took a stake in Lee Enterprises, buying $85 million of the company's debt from Goldman Sachs Group. In June 2012, Berkshire Hathaway filed an amended Form 13F for the period ending March 31, 2012; this document disclosed that Berkshire accumulated $2,119,000 or 1,655,125 common shares of Lee Enterprises, or a 3.2 percent stake. The document noted that the confidentiality of this transaction was requested but denied by the SEC on May 25, 2012. In April 2013, Lee Enterprises announced that Berkshire Hathaway refinanced the remaining Pulitzer acquisition debt equating to $94 million. Lee Enterprises incurred no cost for doing this; the collateral involved was the TNI Partner stake including the Arizona Daily Star and azstarnet.com. The result of this was a reduction in interest from a variable rate of 11.3% to a fixed rate of 9% while at the same time extending the debt maturity date of the debt from December 2015 to April 2017.
At the time of the announcement Lee Enterprises noted. Lee paid off and retired its New Pulitzer notes in June 2015, 6 months before the original maturity date and 22 months before the new maturity date. Lee refinanced its remaining debt in 2014 in order to extend the maturities from 2015 and 2017 to 2019 and 2022. On June 27, 2018, Lee Enterprises and Berkshire Hathaway reached a five-year agreement to allow Lee Enterprises to manage Berkshire Hathaway's newspaper and digital operations. Lee Enterprises owns many newspapers. * Newspaper owned by Capital Newspapers, a partnership with The Capital Times Company. Lee operated a broadcasting division, which it sold in 2000 to pay off debt and in order to focus on newspaper publishing. Most of the TV stations were sold to Emmis Communications, have all been sold, as of 2007, to other companies. – Indicates that it was built and signed on by Lee Enterprises. In addition, Lee operated KASY-TV in Albuquerque, owned by Ramar Communications; that station was a UPN affiliate.
KASY was sold to WB affiliate KWBQ in 1999. Official website
McCook, Nebraska
McCook is a city in and the county seat of Red Willow County, United States. The population was 7,698 at the 2010 census. McCook was platted in 1882 when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was extended to that point, it was named in honor of Alexander McDowell McCook, a Brigadier General in the Union Army during the American Civil War. McCook is located at 40°12′19″N 100°37′34″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.39 square miles, all of it land. McCook's climate is formally classified as hot-summer humid continental. Due to the hot and humid summers typical of the Midwest and the January daily mean averaging around −3 °C it has significant influence of the humid subtropical climate. Winters are warm and dry and summers hot and wet; as of the census of 2010, there were 7,698 people, 3,324 households, 2,021 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,428.2 inhabitants per square mile. There were 3,717 housing units at an average density of 689.6 per square mile.
The racial makeup of the city was 95.8% White, 0.5% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 1.5% from other races, 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.9% of the population. There were 3,324 households of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, 39.2% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 40.7 years. 23% of residents were under the age of 18. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 7,994 people, 3,371 households, 2,154 families residing in the city; the population density was 1,485.1 people per square mile. There were 3,754 housing units at an average density of 697.4 per square mile.
The racial makeup of the city was 97.37% White, 0.18% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.91% from other races, 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.53% of the population. The population was 7,410 in 2009. There were 3,371 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.1% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $31,105, the median income for a family was $40,455.
Males had a median income of $28,065 versus $18,516 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,691. About 7.9% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over. The Harvey P. Sutton House at 602 Norris Avenue was designed by influential architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1905–1907 and built 1907–1908; the classic Prairie-style house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The house is used as a private residence, is not open to the public. McCook hosts the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival each summer. McCook Army Airfield, active from 1943 through 1945, was located nine miles northwest of McCook. McCook hosted a professional baseball team, the McCook Braves, who played in the Nebraska State League from 1956–59. In their final season in 1959, the club featured future Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro and won the NSL championship. Another pitcher on the team, Pat Jordan became a writer for the Sporting News, wrote an autobiography dealing with his career with the Braves, A False Spring.
McCook is home to the first two-year junior college in Nebraska. McCook Junior College was founded in September 1926 on the second floor of the YMCA building on Main Street; the name was changed to McCook Community College and was governed over the Mid-Plains Area. McCook is home to Heritage Hills Golf Course; the 18-hole par-72 championship golf course was designed by Bradford Benz, ASGCA, Richard M. Phelps, ASGCA, opened in 1981; the links style course plays over 7,100 yards from the back tees. Heritage Hills was included in Golf Digest’s Best 75 Golf Course’s in 1984 and Golf Digest’s Top 100 Toughest Public Course’s in 1986. Heritage Hills underwent a major renovation for upgrades and modernization in 2013. McCook has a council-manager style government. Five council members are elected at large; as of 2015, council members are Mayor Mike Gonzales, Vice-President Janet Hepp, Jerry Calvin, Bruce McDowell, Gene Weedin. The city government operates through eight departments and offices: Administration and Zoning, Library, Public Works, Senior Center, Utilit
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government created by statute to regulate interstate communications by radio, wire and cable. The FCC serves the public in the areas of broadband access, fair competition, radio frequency use, media responsibility, public safety, homeland security; the FCC was formed by the Communications Act of 1934 to replace the radio regulation functions of the Federal Radio Commission. The FCC took over wire communication regulation from the Interstate Commerce Commission; the FCC's mandated jurisdiction covers the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Territories of the United States. The FCC provides varied degrees of cooperation and leadership for similar communications bodies in other countries of North America; the FCC is funded by regulatory fees. It has an estimated fiscal-2016 budget of US $388 million, it has 1,688 federal employees, made up of 50% males and 50% females as of December, 2017. The FCC's mission, specified in Section One of the Communications Act of 1934 and amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is to "make available so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, or sex, efficient and world-wide wire and radio communication services with adequate facilities at reasonable charges."
The Act furthermore provides that the FCC was created "for the purpose of the national defense" and "for the purpose of promoting safety of life and property through the use of wire and radio communications."Consistent with the objectives of the Act as well as the 1999 Government Performance and Results Act, the FCC has identified four goals in its 2018-22 Strategic Plan. They are: Closing the Digital Divide, Promoting Innovation, Protecting Consumers & Public Safety, Reforming the FCC's Processes; the FCC is directed by five commissioners appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate for five-year terms, except when filling an unexpired term. The U. S. President designates one of the commissioners to serve as chairman. Only three commissioners may be members of the same political party. None of them may have a financial interest in any FCC-related business. † Commissioners may continue serving until the appointment of their replacements. However, they may not serve beyond the end of the next session of Congress following term expiration.
In practice, this means that commissioners may serve up to 1 1/2 years beyond the official term expiration dates listed above if no replacement is appointed. This would end on the date that Congress adjourns its annual session no than noon on January 4; the FCC is organized into seven Bureaus, which process applications for licenses and other filings, analyze complaints, conduct investigations and implement regulations, participate in hearings. The Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau develops and implements the FCC's consumer policies, including disability access. CGB serves as the public face of the FCC through outreach and education, as well as through their Consumer Center, responsible for responding to consumer inquiries and complaints. CGB maintains collaborative partnerships with state and tribal governments in such areas as emergency preparedness and implementation of new technologies; the Enforcement Bureau is responsible for enforcement of provisions of the Communications Act 1934, FCC rules, FCC orders, terms and conditions of station authorizations.
Major areas of enforcement that are handled by the Enforcement Bureau are consumer protection, local competition, public safety, homeland security. The International Bureau develops international policies in telecommunications, such as coordination of frequency allocation and orbital assignments so as to minimize cases of international electromagnetic interference involving U. S. licensees. The International Bureau oversees FCC compliance with the international Radio Regulations and other international agreements; the Media Bureau develops and administers the policy and licensing programs relating to electronic media, including cable television, broadcast television, radio in the United States and its territories. The Media Bureau handles post-licensing matters regarding direct broadcast satellite service; the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau regulates domestic wireless telecommunications programs and policies, including licensing. The bureau implements competitive bidding for spectrum auctions and regulates wireless communications services including mobile phones, public safety, other commercial and private radio services.
The Wireline Competition Bureau develops policy concerning wire line telecommunications. The Wireline Competition Bureau's main objective is to promote growth and economical investments in wireline technology infrastructure, development and services; the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau was launched in 2006 with a focus on critical communications infrastructure. The FCC has eleven Staff Offices; the FCC's Offices provide support services to the Bureaus. The Office of Administrative Law Judges is responsible for conducting hearings ordered by the Commission; the hearing function includes acting on interlocutory requests filed in the proceedings such as petitions to intervene, petitions to enlarge issues, contested discovery requests. An Administrative Law Judge, appointed under the Administrative Procedure Act, presides at the hearing during which documents and sworn testimony are received in evidence, witnesses are cross-examined. At the co
