Following the end of the government shutdown and the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC or Commission) full reopening of operations, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr released a tentative agenda on November 25 for the Commission’s December Open Meeting, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, December 18 at 10:30 a.m. ET. Details on the three items expected to be considered at the Open Meeting are summarized below:
- Updating Rules to Curb Robocallers’ Access to Phone Numbers – Third Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, WC Docket Nos. 13-97, 07-243, 20-67. This draft proposal would continue the Commission’s actions to fight illegal robocalling. In particular, the Third Report and Order (Third R&O) would require for all direct Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) access authorization holders that received authorizations for direct access to numbering resources prior to August 8, 2024, compliance with the same robocall-related, public safety and national security certification and information disclosure requirements that have been required for new applicants since 2023. Existing authorization holders would be required to meet the certification and disclosure requirements within 30 days of the effective date of the rules to maintain their authorization(s). The Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Third FNPRM) would seek to refresh the record on reclaiming numbering resources from interconnected VoIP providers that subsequently had their authorizations revoked or terminated. The Third FNPRM would also seek comment on, among other things, whether VoIP numbering authorizations should be restricted for entities that appear on the Commission’s Covered List or that have “covered” equipment in their network.
- Advancement of the Low Power Television, TV Translator and Class A Television Service – Report & Order, MB Docket No. 24-148. In light of changes within the broadcast industry and Low Power Television (LPTV) Service over the last 40 years, the Report and Order (R&O) would seek to update certain rules for the LPTV Service. In doing so, the R&O would, among other things, update the calculation of relocation distances for displaced and channel sharing LPTV/TV translator stations, establish a uniform maximum relocation distance for all minor modification applications, create a formal method for LPTV Service stations to specify a community of license and require stations to utilize a call sign to match their service designation. In addition, the R&O would reject a number of proposals from the 2024 LPTV Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted by the FCC during the Biden administration, including minimum operating hours, limits on community of license changes and online public file requirements for LPTV. The R&O would also remove rules deemed obsolete and update the technical rules to help prevent interference to LPTV services.
- Delete, Delete, Delete – Direct Final Rule, GN Docket No. 25-133. In continuation of the In re: Delete, Delete, Delete proceeding, this item proposes a Direct Final Rule that would delete rules and requirements managed by the Office of Engineering and Technology under parts 2, 15 and 18. The Direct Final Rule would seek to repeal approximately 35 rule provisions that no longer serve the public interest because they regulate obsolete technology; are no longer used in practice by the FCC, industry or the public; or are otherwise outdated or unnecessary. The Commission would find that prior notice and comment before repealing these rules is “unnecessary” under the Administrative Procedure Act, and would elect to provide a 20-day period for comment on this assessment, with the identified rules automatically being repealed absent any significant adverse comments in response to this Direct Final Rule.