If the FCC's leadership did not change hands, the Notice of Inquiry could be the first step toward rulemaking. “We cannot ignore these complaints, especially when we know it is possible to do better. We want to help improve the customer experience, understand what tools we have to do that and what gaps there may be in the law. prevent consumers from having the ability to resolve routine issues quickly, easily and conveniently,” said Rosenworcel.
ISPs have a friend in the Trump administration
But the proceedings will not move forward under new chairman Brendan Carr, a Republican chosen by newly elected President Donald Trump. Carr disagreed with the notice of investigation, saying the potential actions under investigation by the FCC exceed its authority and that the subject should instead be handled by the Federal Trade Commission.
Carr said the FCC should instead work to “free up spectrum and remove regulatory barriers to deployment” and that the notice of inquiry is part of “the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to shift focus leading the necessary course correction.”
Carr has made clear that he is more interested in regulating broadcast media and social networks than the telecom companies that the FCC has traditionally focused on. Carr wrote a chapter for the conservative Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 in which he criticized the FCC for “impossibility.”[ing] heavy-handed regulation rather than relying on competition and market forces to achieve optimal results.”
With Carr at the helm, ISPs will likely get what they ask for: no new regulations and the elimination of at least some current rules. “Rather than burden communications providers with unnecessary, unlawful, and potentially harmful regulations, the Commission should encourage the consumer benefits of competition by reducing the regulatory burden and disparities that currently unfairly skew the marketplace,” the NCTA told the FCC. that cable companies face stricter regulations than other communications providers.
