FIRE comment to FCC calls for review of regulations that may violate the First Amendment

Last week, FIRE filed a comment in the FCC’s “In re: delete, delete, delete” docket, in which the agency said it “seeks comment on every rule, regulation, or guidance document that the FCC should eliminate." As the agency observed, this review is necessary in light of their statutory mandate to uncover and remove regulations “no longer necessary in the public interest.” FIRE’s comments remind the FCC that the Commission itself has said, “The public interest is best served by permitting free expression of views.” Therefore, in its hunt for “unnecessary regulatory burdens,” the Commission should start with its regulations on content. Such policies include discretionary speech-based investigations and its news distortion policy, which run headlong into the First Amendment and Communications Act directives that deny the FCC the power of censorship. The FCC’s current chairman claims to base FCC decisions on “the law, the facts, and the First Amendment.” With this proceeding, it's time to put up or shut up.