Last week FCC Chairman Brenden Carr announced the launch of a major deregulatory initiative at the FCC. Please note the following:
On March12, 2025 Chairman Carr announced the launch of a massive, deregulatory initiative. The Commission has opened a new docket titled “In re: Delete, Delete, Delete” in which the FCC seeks comment on every rule, regulation, or guidance document that the FCC should eliminate to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens. In his announcement, Chairman Carr cites the new Administration’s decision to “usher in prosperity through deregulation”. The announcement specifically cites President Trump’s Executive Orders including Executive Order 14192 titled “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation” and Executive Order14219 titled “Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Deregulatory Initiative”. In previous editions of the ICORE Blog we’ve addressed the new administrations regulatory initiatives. In the 2/5/25 ICORE Blog we addressed President Trump’s Regulatory Freeze Memorandum. In the 2/28/25 edition we discussed Executive Order 14215, “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” and Executive Order 14219, “Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing The President’s Department of Government Efficiency Deregulatory Initiative” which was specifically mentioned in Chairman Carr’s announcement.
Chairman Carr’s March 12, 2025, announcement also specifically mentions Executive Order 14192, titled “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation”. The following are some of the major elements of Executive Order 14192:
* The Purpose of the Order is to significantly reduce the costs of compliance with Federal Regulations to foster economic prosperity and national security and the highest quality of life for each citizen. To that end the Order requires that for each new regulation issued, at least ten prior regulations be eliminated.
* For fiscal year 2025, agency heads are directed to ensure that the total incremental cost of all new regulations, including repealed regulations, shall be significantly below zero as determined by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Director) unless otherwise required by law or instructions from the Director.
* The heads of agencies shall identify on an aggregated basis for regulations that increase incremental costs, the offsetting incremental costs associated with repealed regulations.
* During the Presidential budget process, the Director shall identify to agencies the total amount of incremental costs that will be allowed for each agency in issuing new regulations and repealing regulations for each fiscal year after fiscal year 2025. No regulations exceeding an agency’s total incremental cost allowance will be allowed unless required by law or approved in writing by the Director. An agency’s incremental cost allowance may allow an increase or require a reduction in total agency costs.
The points listed above provide a description of a few of the more significant requirements of Executive Order 14192 “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation”. As opined here in past editions of the ICORE Blog, the new Administrations push for deregulation will certainly have major implications for the FCC and other Federal agencies. The clear intent of the Executive Orders mentioned above is the creation of fewer new regulations accompanied by the mandatory repeal of existing regulations. We will continue to provide updates going forward as more information becomes available.
