FCC Fine-Tunes Business Legal Cost Reporting Hassle
Published Date: 12/22/2025
Notice
Summary
The FCC is checking in on a paperwork process that businesses use to report legal costs. They want to make sure the forms are useful, clear, and not too much work—especially for small businesses. If you have thoughts, you’ve got until February 20, 2026, to share them, so the FCC can keep things smooth and fair without wasting anyone’s time or money.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Carrier recoveries limited to avoidable litigation costs
Carriers accounting under Section 32.7300 may recover from rates the portion of a settlement that represents avoidable litigation costs only if they show the avoided costs by calculating the additional litigation expenses discounted to present value. Settlement costs above those avoided costs are presumed not recoverable unless the carrier rebuts that presumption by showing the factors that led it to settle and that ratepayers benefited from the settlement.
Businesses face paperwork hours
If you are a business that must follow FCC Section 32.7300, the FCC estimates responses take between 4 and 36 hours each. The collection lists 2 respondents, 2 responses, a total annual burden of 40 hours, and requests comments by February 20, 2026; the FCC specifically seeks ways to reduce burden on small businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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