FCC Issues Plan For Rule Reviews

Plan For Rule Reviews

The FCC has released its "Final Plan for Retrospective Analysis of Existing Rules," its response to President OBAMA's order of last JULY 11th asking independent agencies to develop plans for reviewing their rules.  The plan incorporates the Commission's existing procedures and offers an overview of rules reviews it presently undertakes.

Chairman JULIUS GENACHOWSKI issued a statement saying, "Releasing the Final Plan for Retrospective Reform is a result of the hard work of our staff, and affirms the agency's extensive efforts to eliminate unnecessary regulations. Our commitment to smart and streamlined government is helping promote a healthy climate for private investment, innovation, and job creation, benefiting all Americans. The FCC continues to make strong progress toward our goal of being a model of excellence in government."

New Commissioner AJIT PAI added, "I am pleased that the Commission has completed work on its Final Plan for Retrospective Analysis of Existing Rules. It is important for us to review regularly the rules already on the books and determine whether they should be modified or eliminated in light of changing market and/or technological conditions. In that vein, I look forward to working with my colleagues in examining whether the rules listed in Section VI of the Final Plan should be modified or repealed. It is my hope that we will take prompt action with respect to many of these proceedings.

"I also am looking forward to the Commission's 2012 Biennial Review. Section 11 of the Communications Act requires the Commission to review every two years all regulations that apply to the operations or activities of telecommunications service providers and determine whether those regulations are 'no longer necessary in the public interest as the result of meaningful economic competition between providers of such service.' Following this review, the Commission is then required 'to repeal or modify any regulation it determines to be no longer necessary in the public interest.' In light of the importance of this comprehensive retrospective analysis, I believe that the 2012 Biennial Review should take the form of Commission-level action rather than Bureau-level recommendations."

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