The FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (“CGB”) released a public notice seeking comment on the termination of over three hundred docketed proceedings as dormant. To the extent that a proceeding includes a petition addressing the merits or other pending pleadings, a party’s failure to file comments in response to this public notice will be construed as consent to termination of that proceeding. The FCC has stated that any proceeding where a petition addressing the merits remains pending may not be terminated absent a partiy’s consent. A party aggrieved by a docket termination may file a petition for reconsideration with CGB or an application for review with the full Commission. Targeted for termination are proceedings initiated as early as 1991 through 2014. The FCC believes that termination of dormant proceedings increases decision-making efficiency, modernizes the agency’s processes, and enhances the transparency of proceedings. Comments are due 30 days after the date of publication of the public notice in the Federal Register, and reply comments are due 45 days after the date of Federal Register publication.
