Fcc To Delete 98 Outdated Broadcast Rules And Requirements

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Commission voted at its August 7 open meeting to eliminate 98 broadcast rules and requirements identified as “obsolete, outdated or unnecessary,” continuing an aggressive deregulation effort that has removed hundreds of...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 “We take aim today at the broadcast service rules portion of our regulations and remove those provisions that are outdated or otherwise no longer serving the public interest,” Chairman Brendan Carr said during the...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.” Next iteration of ‘Delete’ initiative targets outdated broadcast policies WASHINGTON, August 7, 2025 – The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday repealed 98 rules and requirements, part of its ongoing effort to clean out regulations deemed ‘obsolete’ from the agency’s rulebooks. “Today's action will remove 71 rule provisions, including 98 rules and requirements, 12 pages and over 5000 words from the FCC rule books,” Chairman Brendan Carr said at the FCC’s August Open Meeting. “We take aim today at broadcast service rules… that are outdated or otherwise no longer serving the public interest.”

Many of the eliminated rules predate digital broadcasting and were rooted in the analog era, no longer reflecting how broadcasters transmit, monitor, or report today. Still, Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez concurred in part and dissented in part, citing concerns with the process used to eliminate the rules. There's a whole community behind your FREE membership... Many date back at least 40 years and mean little for radio stations today The next round of regulations up for deletion by the Federal Communications Commission include a horde of AM- and FM-related regulations. Their present-day aspect is rather minor.

Many are from the 1970s and ’80s and govern aspects like transmitting power measurements, stereo broadcast measurements and affirming that 24-hour broadcasting is, indeed, legal. But as the FCC continues to pledge to rid its rulebook of those that are “obsolete” and “unnecessary,” there are 98 rules it deems as such up for deletion at its August open meeting... In its July meeting, it moved to remove 11 of its rules, but none was specific to radio. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has repealed 98 broadcast-related rules and requirements deemed obsolete or unnecessary, as part of its ongoing effort to reduce regulatory burdens under the "In re: Delete, Delete, Delete" docket. The rules eliminated in today's action date back as far as the 1970s and include provisions governing outdated technologies such as legacy radio testing equipment. The FCC said the repealed rules no longer serve the public interest, are no longer used in practice by broadcasters or the Commission, or have been surpassed by technological advances in the media marketplace.

"This decision reflects our commitment to modernizing the FCC's regulatory framework and clearing away legal clutter that no longer has any practical relevance," the Commission stated. The repeals were enacted through a streamlined "Direct Final Rule" process, which allows the Commission to eliminate obsolete rules without undergoing years of legal proceedings. At its July meeting, the FCC used the same process to repeal rules related to telegraph services, rabbit-ear TV antennas, and phone booths. The initiative has drawn significant public comment, which the FCC said is helping to inform not only the Delete docket but other rulemaking efforts as well. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is updating its regulations for subsea cables to enhance security and streamline the licensing process.

The updates, adopted at an FCC open meeting on August 7th, aim to address national security concerns related to foreign adversaries (like Russia and China) and accelerate the deployment of these critical communication networks. This initiative, developed by the Office of International Affairs in collaboration with the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and the Enforcement Bureau, is intended to bolster national security. The new rules address potential vulnerabilities of subsea cables to foreign adversaries, recognizing their critical role in global internet traffic and financial transactions. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said that while the FCC often focuses on airwaves as vital but unseen infrastructure, submarine cables are just as essential. “They are the real unseen heroes of global communications. [The Commission] must facilitate, not frustrate the buildout of submarine cable industries.” Indeed, the vast global network of subsea cables carry ~ 99% of the world’s internet traffic and support more than $10 trillion...

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The risk of Russia- and China-backed attacks on undersea cables carrying international internet traffic is likely to rise amid a spate of incidents in the Baltic Sea and around Taiwan, according to a report... cybersecurity company. It singled out nine incidents in the Baltic Sea and off the coast of Taiwan in 2024 and 2025 as a harbinger for further disruptive activity. The report said that while genuine accidents remained likely to cause most undersea cable disruption, the Baltic and Taiwanese incidents pointed to increased malicious activity from Russia and China. “(Sabotage) Campaigns attributed to Russia in the North Atlantic-Baltic region and China in the western Pacific are likely to increase in frequency as tensions rise,” the company said.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 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. 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... 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. This action repeals rule provisions identified primarily in the broadcast services section of the regulations that plainly do not serve the public interest any longer because they govern obsolete technology, rules no longer used... The item repeals rules related to old technology that is no longer used, such as 1970s-era regulations dictating the kind of testing equipment radio stations are required to purchase. Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214 Wilmette, IL 60091

© 1994-2025 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved. As part of its “Delete, Delete, Delete” process, the FCC announced that it plans to delete 98 broadcast regulations that no longer serve the public interest. The plans were announced at its meeting on August 7th. Importantly, the FCC is using a new process that first eliminates a rule and then seeks public comment on its elimination. If public comment supports keeping the rule, then the FCC may reinstate the rule.

This is the reverse of the old process in which the FCC first sought public comment before eliminating a rule. Under the new process, the rule is eliminated unless public comments show there is good justification for reinstating its regulation. As for the broadcast rules being eliminated, the FCC stated in a press release: In his separate statement, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr observed: This is an important step in eliminating unnecessary regulations that have hampered the competitive posture of local stations. NYSBA supports these efforts.

You can see the FCC’s decision, including a list of the rules that were eliminated here.

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