In this edition of the ICORE Blog we report on recent events at the FCC. Please note the following:
* On April 29, 2025, FCC Chairman Carr issued a summary of the key actions taken by the FCC in the first 100 days of the new administration. The following is a summary of some of the issues addressed:
* Under the category of “Unleashing High-Speed Infrastructure Builds”, the Chairman cited FCC actions to make it easier for providers to invest in high-speed networks by allowing the use of streamlined procedures to discontinue the use of old copper lines or to retire legacy copper networks. Also the FCC waived notice requirements in cases where they provide no demonstrable benefit, such as network change disclosure filings. (See ICORE Blog dated 3/30/25)
* The Commission addressed “Expanding America’s Space Economy” by streamlining the process for approving earth station siting requests to reduce burdens on satellite companies and the FCC started a proceeding to enable faster satellite broadband services by updating the rules that govern spectrum sharing between satellite operators.
* In the area of “Eliminating Needless Regulation”, the FCC launched a deregulatory initiative titled “Delete, Delete, Delete” in which the Commission is reviewing every rule, regulation, or guidance document for the purpose of eliminating unnecessary regulatory burdens. (See ICORE Blogs dated 3/20/25 and 4/17/25) Comments and Reply comments have now been filed in this proceeding.
* The Commission also addressed “Strengthening National Security” by establishing a new Council on National Security and also launched an investigation into the ongoing operations of entities that have already been determined to pose an unacceptable risk to national security. (See ICORE Blogs dated 1/16/25, 1/21/25, and 3/30/25).
* In the area of “Protecting Consumers” the FCC expanded its work to combat illegal and annoying robocalls by adopting rules that strengthen call blocking rules using reasonable do-not-originate lists. In addition, the Commission recently proposed a new framework that would ensure that caller ID authentication solutions extend to calls transmitted over non-IP networks. (See ICORE Blog dated 5/8/25).
* On May 2, 2025, the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CBG) issued a Public Notice (Notice) seeking comment on whether 2,057 docketed proceedings should be terminated as dormant. The proceedings in question are listed in an Attachment to the Notice. The Notice cites the Commission’s organizational and procedural rules which delegate authority to the CBG to periodically review all open dockets and, in consultation with the responsible Bureaus or Offices, to identify those dockets that appear to be candidates for termination. In addition the Notice states that to the extent that a particular proceeding includes a petition addressing the merits or other pending pleadings, a Party’s failure to file comments in response to this Notice will be construed as consent to the termination of that proceeding. The Notice also seeks comment as to whether there are additional proceedings not identified in the Attachment that should also be considered for termination. Commenters proposing the termination of additional dockets should provide specific reasons for their termination. Comments on this proceeding are due 30 days after publication in the Federal register and Reply Comments are due 45 days after publication.
We will continue to provide updates regarding the issues discussed above as additional information becomes available.
