FCC Chairman Deletes 83 Obsolete Rules

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the elimination of 83 "outdated and obsolete rules" as part of his ongoing regulatory review process. Genachowski has previously eliminated 50 other provisions deemed to be useless or unenforced.


Today's action include the elimination of the "The Fairness Doctrine," which has not been applied for more than 20 years, as well as the deletion of the obsolete "broadcast flag," cable programming service tier rate, and broadcast applications and proceedings rules.


"I'm proud of the work we are doing toward our goal of being model of excellence in government. This includes our recent commitment to act in accordance with the recent Executive Order on Regulation and Independent Agencies, which is consistent with the values and philosophy we apply at the FCC. The elimination of the obsolete Fairness Doctrine regulations will remove an unnecessary distraction. As I have said, striking this from our books ensures there can be no mistake that what has long been a dead letter remains dead. The Fairness Doctrine holds the potential to chill free speech and the free flow of ideas and was properly abandoned over two decades ago. I am pleased we are removing these and other obsolete rules from our books," stated FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. http://www.fcc.gov