FCC's 'Delete, Delete, Delete' initiative sparks debate over fast-tracked deregulation

The Federal Communications Commission, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, voted to eliminate nearly 100 broadcast regulations it called obsolete regulatory dead weight. The move, part of the aggressive “Delete, Delete, Delete” initiative, has sparked internal debate over its fast-tracked approval process.

• A regulatory ghost tour: The deletions vaporized over 5,000 words of regulations from the federal code. The scrapped rules are a trip through broadcast history, targeting everything from 1970s-era mandates on radio equipment to permission slips for now-standard FM stereo and protocols for defunct analog TV, all of which the FCC says no longer serve the public interest.
• Process over substance: The purge’s fast-tracked approval drew a sharp dissent from within the commission, bypassing the traditional public comment period. “I cannot support the elimination of substantive rules pursuant to these procedures,” said Commissioner Anna Gomez, who criticized the lack of public comment and guardrails, though she agreed some of the purely explanatory rules dating to 1979 were outdated.
• The bigger battle: This bureaucratic housekeeping is happening alongside a much more contentious debate over the future of media. The broadcast industry, led by the National Association of Broadcasters, is lobbying the FCC to eliminate national ownership caps to compete with Big Tech, while Pay TV groups warn the move would empower broadcasters to demand higher retransmission fees.

Chairman Carr now finds himself championing deregulation for a broadcast lobby that his agency is also investigating over its news coverage and corporate diversity policies.

• Also on our radar: The FCC has been busy on other fronts, including its recent approval of the Skydance/Paramount merger, a move Commissioner Gomez separately blasted as a "cowardly capitulation." The commission is also looking into Comcast's DEI practices, adding another layer to its relationship with major media players.