STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR
Re: Modernizing Common Carrier Rules, WC Docket No. 15-33
The telecommunications section of the Code of Federal Regulations runs to 4,034 pages.  
Many of the FCC rules codified in that five-volume set have long outlived their usefulness and 
function only to discourage innovation, entrepreneurship, and competition.  The rules we 
eliminate today are a case in point.  The order deletes all or part of 8 different rules that remained 
on our books even though the FCC determined years ago that they no longer apply.  The order 
also scraps references to the regulation of telegraph service given the evolution in technology in 
the decades since those rules were adopted.
In my view, we owe it to the American public to ensure that our regulations are up to date 
and reflect the realities of this dynamic and fast-moving sector of the economy.  So I was glad to 
cast my first vote as a Commissioner in favor of this order.  It takes a small but meaningful step 
towards eliminating unnecessary and outdated regulation.  Working with my colleagues, I look 
forward to finding additional ways that we can reduce burdens and modernize our rules.