The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has disclosed that the agency is currently conducting a forensic and in-depth regulatory review - as it continues its attempts to remove regulations deemed outdated and that in fact only serve to create barriers for business. The comments were made by the head of the FCC, Ajit Pai, who also claimed the regulatory body was keen to adapt certain rules to the digital age in order to increase innovation.
The latest review is part of the FCC’s strategy in conjunction with the first 100 days of the Trump administration to dismantle and review several significant regulations that some industry experts believe are prohibiting innovation. However, he stressed the importance of examining carefully what burdens any changes could have on SME’s – and determine whether changing regulatory benefits would enable them to make faster decisions on approving new innovations.
The FCC chairman made the comments when he delivered his speech at the American Enterprise Institute, which marked his first 100 days in the hotspot. He said: “We’re reviewing the FCC’s rules across the board and deciding which ones still make sense in the digital age. When the facts warrant, we will not hesitate to revise overly burdensome rules or repeal them altogether. We will make a decision within one year. There will be no more waiting indefinitely for an answer.”
Pai said he is focused on helping low-income and rural Americans get access to high-speed internet and "modernizing our rules and removing unnecessary regulatory barriers, promoting innovation, protecting consumers and public safety, and improving agency operations."
Gigi Sohn, a former top aide to Pai's predecessor at the FCC said Pai favors incumbents instead of consumers. The FCC under Pai temporarily blocked Obama rules that would have subjected broadband providers to stricter privacy requirements than websites, giving Congress time to vote to overturn the rules.
