WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commissions has set deadlines for comments to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to codify certain foreign ownership requirements and streamline its review processes for broadcast, common carrier, and aeronautical radio licensees under section 310(b) of the Communications Act.
The NPRM set deadlines for filing comments and reply comments at 30 and 60 days, respectively, after publication of a summary of the NPRM in the Federal Register. On June 23, 2025, the Office of the Federal Register published a summary of the NPRM, including the associated comment and reply comment dates. Accordingly, comments must be filed on or before July 23, 2025, and reply comments must be filed on or before August 22, 2025.
The agency approved a NPRM to revise foreign ownership rules at its May Open Meeting in a move that it believes will further protect national security interests while reducing red tape. The NPRM does not change the 25% ownership cap for foreign ownership of broadcast stations.
In an April blog, FCC Chair Brendan Carr wrote that “not only are we moving quickly at the Commission, but efficiently too. Take the FCC’s foreign ownership rules. Over the years, those regulations have increased…[b]ut in many cases, the FCC never codified those foreign ownership regulations in our rules. Not very efficient! Unwritten rules only make it harder for entities to understand and navigate our requirements, they risk inconsistent outcomes, and they can needlessly raise costs. We therefore initiate a proceeding that looks at codifying our requirements while asking about eliminating any needless ones.”
In a statement after the FCC approved the NPRM in late May, Carr wrote that “the FCC is taking quick and early action to promote America’s national security. We just voted to close a loophole in our equipment authorization process. And we are adopting a proposal now that aligns with the age old adage that sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
“For our national security strategy to succeed, we must identify risks before they can be exploited,” he continued. “But up to now, the FCC and relevant stakeholders have had limited visibility into the ways that foreign adversaries might exert control over the entities we regulate."
"Now, the FCC does collect foreign ownership information from regulated entities," he wrote. "But there are gaps in our information collection. Specifically, the FCC does not have a uniform approach for identifying foreign adversaries that may hold an interest in an FCC license or authorization. Nor has our approach taken into account the various ways that foreign adversaries can exercise control. I have long believed that the FCC should publish a list of every entity with an FCC authorization or license that has sufficiently concerning ties back to a foreign adversary…With today’s rulemaking, we are seeking comment on obtaining the information necessary for the FCC to publish a list of all regulated entities that are subject to the control of a foreign adversary. As we do so, we know that there are many different paths forward and the public’s input will prove critical to the Commission’s success.”
The full NPRM can be found here.
