Fcc Targets Outdated Radio And Tv Rules For Updates Or Elimination

The Federal Communications Commission unanimously advanced a proposed rulemaking that, if adopted, would update 13 broadcast radio and TV rules. The FCC says the proposed rulemaking would update rules to better reflect current application processing requirements, clarify terms and procedures, and remove references to outdated procedures and legacy filing systems. “There are so many screens and new devices in our lives, offering up all kinds of content when we want it and where we want it. So here we identify changes we can make under existing law that governs broadcasting — that streamline the responsibilities radio and television stations have under our rules,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said. The rulemaking will roll into the next administration and is potentially one of the non-controversial things the Commission can take up when it faces a 2-2 party split early in the Trump administration. The rulemaking drew praise from all the commissioners during its vote on Wednesday.

“There is a lot alike in there,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr, who will take over as chair of the FCC when President-elect Trump is sworn in. The proposal (MB Docket No. 24-626) includes several updates that are directed at AM technical rules, which Media Bureau attorney Ari Rangle says will provide broadcasters with greater flexibility to optimize their AM stations if adopted. The Federal Communications Commission voted at its August 7 open meeting to eliminate 98 broadcast rules and requirements identified as “obsolete, outdated or unnecessary,” continuing an aggressive deregulation effort that has removed hundreds of... The action removes broadcast service regulations spanning nearly five decades, including 1970s-era requirements for specific radio station testing equipment and procedures for defunct technologies like analog television services and obsolete TV subscription systems. “We take aim today at the broadcast service rules portion of our regulations and remove those provisions that are outdated or otherwise no longer serving the public interest,” Chairman Brendan Carr said during the...

“Specifically, today’s action will remove 71 rule provisions, including 98 rules and requirements, 12 pages, and over 5,000 words from the FCC’s rule books.” The Commission used a direct final rule procedure that allows regulation removal without traditional notice-and-comment rulemaking, provided no significant adverse comments are received during a public comment period. This streamlined approach enabled rapid elimination of rules but has drawn procedural concerns from Commissioner Anna Gomez. “The procedures implemented last month and used again today to erase rules adopted pursuant to notice and comment were put in place without seeking public comment on appropriate processes and guardrails,” Gomez wrote in... “I cannot support the elimination of substantive rules pursuant to these procedures.” The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has long set standards designed to prevent consolidation within the radio and broadcasting industry.

These standards aim to promote competition, localism and diversity of viewpoints by ensuring that the power to inform the masses is not held by limited actors. Congress directed the FCC to reevaluate these standards every four years to determine if they continue to meet their intended aim. In September, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) continuing the latest quadrennial review. Specifically, the FCC is looking at local-ownership rules designed to limit the number of stations a single firm can own in a given market. In addition, the FCC is considering the elimination of a dual-network rule that prevents mergers between the big-four television networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC). While these rules may have made sense when consumers had few options other than over-the-air broadcast, the market dynamics have drastically shifted, especially in recent years.

Consumers have long been able to watch or listen to media via cable and direct-broadcast satellite systems, but now digital, internet-based media dominates viewing and listening numbers. As such, there is no longer a need for such restrictions to achieve the goals of competition, localism, and viewpoint diversity because consumers can simply choose alternative media delivery options. More important, there are costs to keeping these rules in place, and if the FCC’s goal is to promote a robust and diverse broadcast market, eliminating these rules can help. Broadcast viewership and listener numbers are falling dramatically for years, and with decreased viewership comes decreased advertising revenue. Many broadcast firms are struggling to stay afloat, and could go out of business, leaving their viewers and listeners with fewer options. By eliminating the restrictions, the FCC could create efficiencies for firms, lowering costs and better allowing broadcasters to compete with digital alternatives.

The current NPRM looks at three local-broadcast rules: radio, television, and dual networks. They are summarized below. The Local Radio Ownership Rule limits the total number of radio stations that may be commonly owned in a local market. The cap varies based on the total number of radio stations in a market, but generally limits ownership to around 25–35 percent market share. The market analysis is solely limited to radio stations, however, and the FCC is asking whether the definition of an “audio marketplace” should be expanded to include streaming, satellite radio, and podcasts, and if... Changes aim to streamline filings and eliminate outdated procedures

The FCC is continuing its housekeeping efforts with proposed updates to certain radio and TV rules. The commission published its Notice for Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register on Monday. As a result, comments may be filed through April 23, with reply comments due by May 8. As Radio World reported in December, the commission said these efforts are intended to “better reflect current application processing requirements, codify existing practices and remove references to outdated procedures and legacy filing systems.” The move signals that Chairman Brendan Carr is advancing this set of proposals, which were initially introduced under former Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. In December, all five FCC commissioners voted to open the NPRM.

Broadcasters, cable, and wireless groups have extensive wish lists for the FCC’s ‘Delete, Delete, Delete’ initiative. WASHINGTON, March 14, 2025 – FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's sweeping deregulatory effort, known as ‘Delete, Delete, Delete’, has elicited varied responses from industry stakeholders since it was announced Wednesday. One of the first groups to publicly back the initiative was the National Association of Broadcasters, applauding Carr’s deep dive into expelling FCC’s rules and regulations that “no longer serve any meaningful public interest... Among NAB’s top priorities for deregulation: The national TV ownership cap, which currently prevents a single broadcaster from reaching more than 39% of U.S. households; and, local radio and TV station ownership rules, which limit how many stations a single company can own in a given market. Those “must be reformed as soon as possible,” NAB spokesman Alex Siciliano told Broadband Breakfast.

Earlier this year, Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Brendan Carr, introduced the Delete, Delete, Delete initiative to go over every single FCC rule, and scrap the outdated ones. (It’s about time!) In this initiative, the FCC seeks to abolish 71 broadcast rule provisions. This takes out about twelve pages from the FCC rulebook. According to the document, the Delete Delete Delete mandate aims to “modernize the Commission’s regulatory framework and pave the way for the next generation of innovation.” Not only would it take out 71 broadcast rules, but would repeal 98 rules and requirements that regulate technology that’s no longer in use, or outdated.

For instance, there are still rules pertaining to phone booths, rabbit ears antennae, telegraphs, and so on. This clears all those musty rules. In order to move this process along, Carr has suggested using the Direct Final Rule Process. This helps expedite the removal of rules without the usual notice and comment period under the Administration Procedure Act, or APA. However, even though the direct final rule process is being utilized, the FCC will still hear public comments on this. If these comments seem to be adversely affecting the process, the FCC may do away with the Direct Final Rule and go the traditional route.

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez has questions about using the Direct Final Rule, stating she has concerns about the lack of public participation. The Federal Communications Commission is poised to eliminate 98 outdated or redundant broadcast rules in what it describes as a major step toward modernizing its regulatory framework. In a document released ahead of its Aug. 7 meeting, the FCC is laying out which rules will be targeted in the Delete, Delete, Delete proceeding (GN Docket No. 25-133), many of which have been deemed irrelevant due to changes in technology and industry practices. The targeted rules span analog-era requirements and duplicative policies that the FCC says no longer serve the public interest.

Among those slated for repeal are instrumentation mandates for broadcast stations, authorization rules for stereo transmission, and outdated international broadcast terms. The Commission also proposes to scrap more than two-dozen rules that merely reference now-outdated policy statements or court decisions. “These rules regulate obsolete technology, are no longer used in practice by the FCC or licensees, or are otherwise outdated or unnecessary,” says a fact sheet accompanying the proposed rule changes. Among the most relevant for radio broadcasters are instrumentation and transmission-related rules. They include: The FCC says these rules no longer reflect current practice or necessity.

It says modern broadcast equipment and remote monitoring tools have rendered these technical instrumentation mandates obsolete.

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