Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions-Spring 2025
Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA; 5 U.S.C 601- 612) the Federal Communications Commission is required to publish a regulatory flexibility agenda twice-yearly in the Federal Register describing any regulatory proceedings under development or review which are likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 5 U.S.C. 602. In addition, Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review (Sep. 30, 1993), requires each agency to publish, twice yearly, a regulatory agenda (Agenda) of regulations under development or review during the next year which will be included in the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Unified Agenda). 58 FR 51735 (Oct. 4, 1993). The Agenda required by Executive Order 12866 must include all regulations the agency expects to develop or review during the next 12 months, regardless of whether they may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. E.O. 12866 provides that agencies may combine this agenda with the regulatory flexibility agenda required under the RFA. To help keep the public informed of significant rulemaking proceedings and meet its obligations under the RFA and E.O. 12866, the Commission has prepared Agenda entries providing a brief description and summary of each regulatory activity that is currently planned for the 12 months, subject to revision, including the objectives and legal basis for each, and the name and telephone number of an agency official who is knowledgeable about items in the agenda. The Commission's Agenda entries published in the Federal Register are only those entries for rules that are likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities pursuant to the RFA. The Commission's complete list of regulatory and deregulatory actions for the Unified Agenda will be published on the internet in a searchable format at www.reginfo.gov.
What this rule actually says
The FCC is announcing what new regulations it's planning to work on over the next 12 months. This isn't a rule itself—it's a preview of potential rules. Think of it like a roadmap the FCC is publishing so companies know what regulatory work might be coming, rather than being surprised by new requirements later.
Who it applies to
This document itself doesn't create obligations for anyone. However, the *future rules* described in it might. Since the full text wasn't provided here, the key question is whether the FCC's planned regulatory actions mention AI, algorithms, or telecommunications-related AI services.
You should monitor this if:
- You build AI tools that operate over phone lines, internet calling, or use FCC-regulated spectrum
- You provide AI services to telecom companies
- You're in the U.S. and operating at meaningful scale (the FCC focuses on rules with "significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities")
You can probably ignore this if:
- Your AI medical scribe, hiring assistant, or support chatbot is purely software-based and doesn't touch telecom infrastructure
- You're operating outside the U.S.
- You have fewer than 50 employees and minimal revenue (though this is a rough benchmark, not a hard rule)
What founders need to do
- Check the full agenda (2-3 hours). Visit www.reginfo.gov and search for FCC entries. Look for any mention of "AI," "algorithms," or services relevant to your product.
- Set up monitoring (15 minutes, ongoing). Sign up for FCC regulatory updates or check reginfo.gov quarterly. The Unified Agenda updates twice yearly, so changes happen predictably.
- Read the actual proposed rule when it drops (2-5 days). When (or if) the FCC proposes something relevant, the Federal Register notice will be the real document. The agenda is just a heads-up.
- Assess impact (1-2 days). Once you see the proposed rule text, determine if it actually affects your product architecture, data handling, or compliance obligations.
- Comment if needed (3-5 days). If a proposed rule will materially affect your business, the FCC accepts public comments during the notice-and-comment period. Small founders' real-world feedback often carries weight.
Bottom line
Monitor, don't panic. This is the FCC announcing future work, not imposing new rules today—but if you touch telecom infrastructure or operate at scale, keep an eye on reginfo.gov over the next year to see what actually gets proposed.