FCC unveils sweeping deregulation effort

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is planning a new effort to roll back regulations on the tech, media and telecommunications industries, the department announced Wednesday.

The FCC said it is seeking public comment on "every rule, regulation, or guidance document that the FCC should eliminate for the purposes of alleviating unnecessary regulatory burdens."

“Under President Trump’s leadership, the Administration is unleashing a new wave of economic opportunity by ending the regulatory onslaught from Washington,” Chair Brendan Carr said in a statement. “For too long, administrative agencies have added new regulatory requirements in excess of their authority or kept lawful regulations in place long after their shelf life had expired."

Current regulations, Carr argued, "only create headwinds and slow down our country’s innovators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses."

Carr, a close ally of President Trump, has spoken critically of mainstream news outlets and tech companies he and many other Trump supporters have said worked during previous administrations to undermine conservative viewpoints.

Under Carr, the FCC has reopened complaints against major broadcasters such as CBS and NBC and threatened to investigate public broadcasters over their funding models and editorial bend.