FCC Asks: Too Much Paperwork for Small Phone Businesses?
Published Date: 4/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The FCC is checking in on its paperwork rules to make sure they’re useful and not too much work, especially for small businesses with fewer than 25 employees. They want your thoughts on how to make things clearer, faster, and easier, with a deadline to send comments by June 17, 2025. This review affects businesses that deal with local phone competition rules and could save time and hassle in the future.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Large time burden to comply with collection
The information collection covers 462 respondents and 2,967 responses with an estimated time per response of 1–500 hours and a reported Total Annual Burden of 37,390 hours; responding is required to obtain or retain benefits.
Small businesses invited to reduce paperwork burden
The FCC is asking for public comments on its paperwork rules and specifically seeks ways to further reduce the information-collection burden on small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. Comments must be submitted by June 17, 2025.
Local competition obligations for incumbent carriers
Under the collection (CC Docket No. 96-98), incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) are required to offer interconnection, unbundled network elements (UNEs), and wholesale rates for certain services to new entrants, and ILECs must price such services at cost-based, just and reasonable rates.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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