Re: Can anyone explain why the FCC was shut down
"They shutdown in January, but why? FCC is an independent agency funded through regulatory fees. How does the partial federal government shutdown affect their ability to work?"
The US has a broken political system, the political polls only pretend there are two political parties (ignoring all 3rd parties), so so does the mass media. This ensures parties other than the main 2 parties gain little to no influence. Imagine the situation you'd have in the UK if the Torries and Conservatives were literally the only two parties, so when they start to bicker over something there is no one else in office to tell them to quit bickering and get something done, nobody else in office to force a vote one way or the other, and no "other" choice to vote for at election time to show dissatisfaction with this situation.
During government shutdowns in the US, fully automated web sites are shut down ahead of time, outdoor memorials and monuments that are unstaffed anyway are fenced off to make sure nobody can enjoy them, and many other petty and childish behaviors. I'm sure many of these were members of one main party or the other thinking they'll go ahead and make that shutdown as painful for the public as possible.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
