FCC closes out phase one of ‘delete’ push with seventh round of rule deletions

The Federal Communications Commission wrapped up what it called phase one of its “Delete, Delete, Delete” deregulation effort this week, voting to remove 18 more rule provisions while also adopting a broader update to broadcast application procedures that affects how stations file for licenses, request emergency authority and sign official documents.

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The two actions, taken March 25 and 26, touched nearly every type of broadcast licensee — from commercial AM and FM stations to low power FM outlets, noncommercial educational broadcasters and television stations navigating the ongoing transition to the ATSC 3.0 next-generation broadcast standard.

The commission’s seventh direct final rule in the Delete, Delete, Delete proceeding targeted 18 provisions in Part 1 of the Code of Federal Regulations — rules the FCC said had not been used in practice by the agency, licensees or the public.

Among the provisions removed were rules governing the broadcast television spectrum incentive auction, a voluntary process through which television stations either gave up their spectrum or moved to new channels in exchange for payment. That auction concluded in 2017. The rules being deleted, sections 1.2200 through 1.2209, had remained on the books for nearly a decade after the process ended.

Also removed were rules related to designated entity installment payment programs the commission has not used since 1997, and a requirement directing international carriers to file reports tied to a Part 43 obligation that had already been eliminated.

“Many of these are outdated procedural rules that serve no purpose except to bloat the rulebook,” said Chairman Brendan Carr in a statement accompanying the vote.

With the seventh round complete, the commission said it had removed approximately 1,274 rule provisions, 149,566 words and more than 338 pages from the code since the proceeding began in 2025.

Commissioner Anna M. Gomez concurred in part and dissented in part, acknowledging that some of the deleted rules were clearly obsolete — specifically sections 1.790, 1.2200 through 1.2209 and 1.2105(c)(6) — but expressing concern about the process used to eliminate them.

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“Substantive rules adopted by the Commission pursuant to notice and comment should not be eliminated without the same due process,” Gomez said.

The rules will take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, unless the agency receives what it determines to be significant adverse comments.

A broader broadcast rule update

A separate Report and Order adopted March 25, FCC 26-14, addressed a wider set of broadcast-specific rule changes that had been under consideration since the commission issued a notice of proposed rulemaking in late 2024.

The order adopted 13 of the 15 proposals in that notice, declining two: a proposal to formalize how the FCC processes conflicting low power FM minor modification applications filed on the same day, and a proposal to tighten procedures around informal objections to broadcast applications.

Among the changes that did advance, several had been largely uncontested by industry commenters.

The commission replaced all remaining references to its legacy Consolidated Database System, known as CDBS, with references to the Licensing and Management System, or LMS, the electronic filing platform that now handles broadcast applications. The bureau stopped updating CDBS several years ago, but the old system’s name persisted in dozens of rule sections.

Form numbers used in broadcast applications were also updated to match LMS conventions. Where the old system assigned standalone form numbers, LMS uses a combined format: FCC Form 2100, Schedule 301.

Inconsistent terminology for FM and television allotment tables was standardized, and references to the analog television table of allotments were updated to point to the digital television table.

Rules requiring consumer notification and broadcaster compliance tied to the now-completed incentive auction transition were removed. The post-auction transition period ended July 3, 2020. The commission also removed rules related to TV station operations above channel 37, in the 614-698 MHz band now used for wireless broadband. All television stations have ceased operating in that band.

The signature rule changes

One of the more consequential changes for smaller and noncommercial broadcasters involved who is permitted to sign FCC applications.

Under the previous rule, application signatures were limited by entity type — officers for corporations, partners for partnerships, officers who are members for unincorporated associations, and elected or appointed officials for governmental entities such as public universities or municipal broadcasters.

The commission amended section 73.3513 to add “duly authorized employee” as an eligible signatory for all of those categories. The FCC directed the Media Bureau to interpret the term broadly, to include paid and unpaid workers — including volunteers — who are under the direct control of the applicant organization and have been authorized by it to sign on its behalf.

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The commission was explicit about one boundary: independent consultants and third-party technical professionals are not covered. That carve-out addressed a concern raised by REC Networks, which noted that in the 2023 LPFM filing window, the majority of the 12 applications it identified as having signature defects were signed by consultants or technicians with no direct employment relationship to the applicant.

The Prometheus Radio Project had pushed for a broader term — “duly authorized representative” — to capture the range of volunteer and member roles found in community radio organizations and civic nonprofits. The commission declined to change the language but instructed the bureau to interpret “employee” expansively enough to cover such roles.

Both Prometheus and REC had also asked the commission to create a path to correct signature violations after the fact — a process known as nunc pro tunc reinstatement — rather than requiring application dismissal. The commission rejected that approach, citing its longstanding position that strict adherence to signature requirements is necessary to maintain accountability for application accuracy.

STA filing burden cut in half

Broadcast stations that experience equipment failures or other technical problems can request a special temporary authorization, known as an STA, to operate under modified conditions while repairs are made. Under the previous rule, STAs granted for technical or equipment problems were limited to 90-day terms, compared with 180-day terms available for STAs granted for other reasons.

The commission removed that distinction. STAs for technical problems will now be available for initial periods of up to 180 days, the same as other STA categories, with extensions available in 180-day increments.

Public broadcaster licensees, many of which are state universities or governmental entities, had specifically flagged the 90-day limit as unrealistic.

“The period is more realistic given the time it takes to procure and replace technical equipment,” the Public Broadcasters group said in comments.

NAB agreed the change reduced burdens on both applicants and commission staff.

On the Delete, Delete, Delete side: the rules removed this week were genuinely dead weight. Incentive auction procedures from 2017, installment payment programs last used in 1997 — nobody was relying on these provisions. Commissioner Gomez’s process concern is legitimate, and her partial dissent is a marker worth watching.

As the commission moves into phase two — licensing reform, paperwork reduction and what Chairman Carr described as “smashing technological silos” — the stakes of using expedited rulemaking procedures will likely increase. Deleting truly obsolete text is one thing. Eliminating substantive rules by the same method is another, and that distinction will be tested.

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