What are the critical information needs of the American public? The FCC hopes to answer this broad question by commissioning a study of how the communications marketplace meets the public’s information needs. The FCC will also be reviewing relevant studies that already exist. A priority for the agency will be defining “critical information needs”.

The FCC’s Office of Communications Business Opportunities and its Media Bureau, which requested proposals from outside parties to conduct the study, want to know: How Americans meet their critical information needs; how the media ecosystem operates to address critical information needs; and what barriers exist in providing content and services to address critical information needs, specifically for women and minority groups. This work will follow up on legislative and judicial efforts to evaluate how FCC policies address actual public needs.

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