The Obama administration proposes that the FCC receive $335.8 million in FY10 funding, a decrease from the $341.9 million Congress allotted for FY09 -- a figure that included $20 million to assist with this year's digital television changeover. In its FY10 budget released Thursday, the administration said it supports overhauling the $7.1 billion universal service program, a federal effort subsidizing telecom and Internet services in rural and underprivileged areas. "The administration supports universal service fund reforms that will help ensure subsidies are well-targeted, demonstrate results and minimize the burden to ratepayers," the White House said in its budget request, adding that it will seek to reduce waste, fraud and abuse.

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FY10 Budget Briefing: Science

President Obama's emphasis on climate change and clean energy investment was reflected Thursday in the administration's $147.6 billion FY10 budget for research and development, but his overall R&D portfolio proposal is about the same as his predecessor's. Former President George W. Bush asked for an R&D budget of $147 billion last year, and Congress appropriated $151 billion in the FY09 omnibus bill. The economic stimulus package provided an additional $21.5 billion for federal R&D programs, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Obama's budget lays out about $3.1 billion for clean energy technology initiatives and $2 billion for climate change research across more than a dozen departments.

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