Congress is investigating Federal Communications Commission regulatory procedures to determine if they are being conducted in a fair, open, efficient, and transparent manner. Follow the debate here.
FCC Reform
Delete, Delete, Delete: How FCC Republicans are killing rules faster than ever
The Federal Communications Commission's Republican chairman is eliminating regulations at breakneck speed by using a process that cuts dozens of rules at a time while giving the public only 10 or 20 days to review each proposal and submit objections.
Delete, Delete, Delete: Direct final rule
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission acts to eliminate certain outdated, obsolete, and unnecessary rules. Effective October 20, 2025, unless significant adverse comments are received by September 9, 2025. In the event the FCC receives significant adverse comments, the Commission will publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register informing the public the provisions of the rule(s) for which significant adverse comments were received and elimination will not take effect. You may submit comments, identified by GN Docket No. 25–133, electronically or on paper.
FCC to Delete 98 Outdated Broadcast Rules and Requirements
The Federal Communications Commission took action to repeal 98 broadcast rules and requirements that have been identified as obsolete, outdated, or unnecessary, including rules dating back nearly 50 years ago for technologies that have been far surpassed in the media marketplace. This marks the latest action in the Commission’s “In re: Delete, Delete, Delete” docket, which seeks public input on identifying FCC rules for the purpose of alleviating unnecessary regulatory burdens.
FCC Aims to Accelerate Permitting & High-Speed Infrastructure Builds
The Federal Communications Commission launched a rulemaking to accelerate infrastructure builds by modernizing its environmental regulations.
NDIA Joins Public Knowledge and X Lab to Call on FCC to Measure All Aspects of the Digital Divide
The 1996 Telecommunications Act not only established the Universal Service Fund and its programs, it also required that the Federal Communications Commission regularly provide a report that determines “whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion.” To develop the report, Congress required the FCC to release a Notice of Inquiry to gather information for the public record and inform the Commission’s final determination of whether ‘advanced
FCC Looks to Further Deregulate Business Broadband Marketplace
The Federal Communications Commission has voted to build on earlier efforts aimed at reducing outdated, unnecessary, and burdensome pricing regulations in the marketplace for certain broadband services provided to businesses and other entities. The Commission will begin a comprehensive review of its business data services rules with a focus on eliminating ex ante price controls and tariffing obligations. This action looks to market competition rather than over-regulation to ensure that rates, terms, and conditions of service are just and reasonable.
Reform to Universal Service Fund Still Urgently Needed, Say Experts
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund does little to solve the $9 billion program’s long-standing structural and financial flaws. The decision was a relief to telecommunications providers and communications advocates who feared catastrophe if the high court swung the other way. "You've got recipients who made clear to us that if this were to happen, you're talking about immediate bankruptcy and firing of companies and cutting back on serv
Public Knowledge Joins 21 Groups Urging FCC Chairman Carr To Follow the Law, Stop Undermining Agency’s Power
Public Knowledge joined 21 other public interest, civil rights, labor, and digital rights groups [including the Benton institute for Broadband & Society] in a letter urging Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr to pull an item from the agency’s July 2025 Open Meeting agenda for violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
No Summer Slowdown
The Federal Communications Commission is ramping up our activities this Summer season to advance our Build America Agenda. This push begins in earnest in just eight days at our July open meeting where we will consider previously announced proposals to accelerate the upgrade from old copper line networks to modern ones, to
AT&T Makes Fiber Pledge in Response to “One Big Beautiful Bill”
AT&T has pledged to accelerate fiber deployment in one million locations as a response to the passage of H.R. 1, signed into law July 4 by President Donald Trump. AT&T’s announcement promises to invest more rapidly in infrastructure projects starting in 2026. It was sent to AT&T investors one day before the bill was signed. The law, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, renews the ability of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to auction radio spectrum, an ability that had lapsed due to gridlock in 2023.