The Federal Communications Commission has approved another rule change aimed at improving broadcast regulation, moving forward with many of the reforms planned under Chairman Brendan Carr’s “Delete, Delete, Delete” initiative – while withdrawing one of the most closely watched proposals related to the LPFM application process.
Carr said the changes cap the “first phase” of the effort. Since the “Delete, Delete, Delete” effort began last year, the FCC says 1,274 rules, 149,566 words, and more than 338 pages have been removed from the Commission’s rulebook.
“Most of the dead wood is gone, but we’re not slowing down,” Carr said. “The top floor in 2026 is licensing and permitting changes, eliminating unnecessary paperwork, and breaking down technology silos that have stifled innovation for decades.”
The latest steps have a variety of different improvements (GN Docket No. 25-133) focused on aligning regulations with current practices, eliminating outdated requirements, and simplifying application processes for broadcasters. Others are also making changes that directly affect the day-to-day operations of the broadcast.
That includes technical requirements such as extending the standard period for temporary special permits caused by technical or equipment problems from 90 days to 180 days. The order also eliminates the long-standing requirement that AM stations seek at least a 20% increase in power when renovating facilities.
The National Association of Broadcasters argued that such a move would provide greater flexibility to meet broadcasting needs. NAB also stated that eliminating the requirement will help AMs achieve the necessary public license protection, and contribute to the elimination of minimum efficiency requirements for AM stations.
Many of the latest updates improve the way stations interact with the station. The FCC is replacing legacy references in its long-retired database, updating the names of application forms, and removing old paper terms such as references to documents that are “deficient” rather than “filed.”
Another notable change expands who can sign FCC petitions. The commission now allows “properly authorized personnel” to verify documents – extending the law beyond officers and directors – and to accept electronic signatures transparently. The FCC also clarifies that the definition of employee should be broadly defined to include volunteers and others under the organization’s control, excluding outside consultants.
At the same time, the agency has refused to relax its strict enforcement of signature requirements. Applications that fail to comply will still be rejected, with no opportunity to correct errors after submission, a condition the FCC says is necessary to maintain accountability for proposals.
The Commission is also streamlining existing procedures, including clarifying that “approved” stations include licensed and operating facilities under a building permit, and consolidating the rules governing applications for denial of license renewal into a single section.
While the Commission moved forward with many proposals, it backed away from a change that would have established how low-power FM applications are processed when multiple files are submitted on the same day.
The FCC had proposed revising its current practice of treating small, same-day LPFM change requests as “concurrent filings,” requiring applicants to resolve conflicts through engineering fixes or negotiations. But that idea generated a different opinion, instead some wanted a more realistic approach, based on accurate electronic time stamps—something that is now possible with an LMS.
Instead of the Commission solving this issue in this system, it chose to leave the laws unchanged. The agency said the broader question of whether the move to a timestamp-based operating system would have implications beyond LPFM and would likely be better addressed in separate rules in the future.
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