FCC Announces Busy Agenda for August Open Meeting

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The meeting on August 7 will include votes on such topics as EAS, disaster reporting, deleting obsolete broadcast regs and the buildout of advanced telecommunications capabilities

FCC meeting room lobby
(Image credit: FCC.gov)

WASHINGTON—Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has announced a tentative agenda for the August Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, August 7, 2025.

As previously reported, that agenda will include a vote on an inquiry that will embark on a fundamental reexamination of America’s emergency alerting systems.

The FCC described the August agenda as follows:

  • Revamping NEPA Review to Accelerate Infrastructure Deployment – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would examine the Commission’s environmental rules to ensure they comport with the amended National Environmental Policy Act, accelerate the federal permitting process, further a national priority of faster and more infrastructure deployment, and ensure that the Commission’s rules are clear. (WT Docket No. 25-217).
  • Streamlining Space Bureau Reviews – The Commission will consider a Second Report and Order that advances opportunities for innovation in the space economy by taking measures to expedite the application processes for space stations and earth stations, to remove barriers for modifying authorizations, and to remove outdated rules. (IB Docket Nos. 22-411, 22-271).
  • Accelerating Buildout of Secure Undersea Cable Infrastructure – The Commission will consider a Report and Order that would modernize the Commission’s submarine cable rules to unleash high-speed infrastructure deployment, while strengthening our national security. The Commission will also consider a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would build upon the Report and Order by proposing measures to further streamline and improve timeliness of submarine cable application review and make other updates to address national security threats. (OI Docket No. 24-523, MD Docket No. 24-524).
  • Evaluating the Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications – The Commission will consider a Notice of Inquiry that would initiate the annual assessment of whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion, as required by section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. (GN Docket No. 25-223).
  • Examining the Nation’s Alerting Systems – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would examine the national alert and warning systems from the ground up and explore ways to make them more effective, efficient, and better able to serve the public’s needs. (PS Docket No. 25-224).
  • Modernizing the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes to reduce the reporting burdens on communication service providers during disasters through the modernization of DIRS. The Commission will also consider an accompanying Order on Reconsideration that clarifies the situations in which outage reporting requirements are suspended during DIRS activations. (PS Docket Nos. 21-346, 15-80; ET Docket No. 04-35).
  • Addressing Business Data Services Pricing Regulations – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would propose to end rate regulation and tariffing obligations for legacy circuit-based business data services provided by incumbent local exchange carriers, and an Order temporarily pausing the triennial update to the competitive market tests pending review of the record in this proceeding. (WC Docket Nos. 21-17, 17-144).
  • Deleting 98 Obsolete Broadcast Rules and Requirements – The Commission will consider a Direct Final Rule that would repeal certain rules identified as outdated and obsolete via a direct final rule procedure. The Commission’s “In re: Delete, Delete, Delete” docket seeks public input on identifying FCC rules for the purpose of alleviating unnecessary regulatory burdens. (GN Docket No. 25-133).

Materials relating to each of these items can be found at www.fcc.gov/openmeeting.

The Open Meeting is scheduled to commence at 10:30 a.m. ET in the Commission Meeting Room of the Federal Communications Commission, 45 L Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

Open Meetings are streamed live at www.fcc.gov/live.

George Winslow
George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.