You can add the Federal Communications Commission to the list of government shutdown casualties: The agency will shutter most of its operations today. Its outage-reporting system will remain online, so you can still let the FCC know if your local 911 service goes down. But if you run into billing or privacy issues with your mobile phone provider, you won’t be able to file a complaint online or by phone, and there will be no one to read your snail-mail letters.  

You could be forgiven for thinking this is business as usual for the FCC. The agency has washed its hands of much of its oversight over broadband and text-message service providers since Republicans gained control of the agency in 2017, and critics argue that recent changes allow the agency to ignore consumer complaints, even when the government is operating. But as the agency responsible for managing use of the nation's airwaves, the FCC plays an important role in internet and media. For example, it must decide the fate of the planned merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, approve or reject Nexstar Media Group's proposed acquisition of fellow TV-station-owner Tribune Media Company, and continue allocating parts of the wireless spectrum for use in 5G wireless networks.