Federal Communications Commission "FCC XX-XXX" STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN AJIT PAI Re: FCC Form 325 Collection, MB Docket No. 17-290; Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket No. 17-105 The musician Frank Zappa wrote, “It isn’t necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice. There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia.” Now, I’ll admit that my statements sometimes invoke nostalgia. But the FCC is doing what it can to ensure that the world doesn’t end in paperwork. At the vanguard of that effort is our Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative. For some time, we’ve been looking to free cable operators and broadcasters from unnecessary paperwork. And today, we advance this goal by eliminating something called Form 325. Back when cable television was young, the FCC began collecting data via Form 325 to see how cable systems were developing. Among other things, Form 325 tracks information on subscriber numbers, equipment, frequency, and signal distribution. But the cable industry has changed drastically over the past half-century. So too has information about them: There are plenty of other sources of industry information. That’s why the Commission in recent years has rarely used the data collected by Form 325. Instead, we’ve relied on information from other authoritative sources. In sum: It is a burden to submit and collect this information, with little benefit for all involved. So today, we make the logical decision to free cable operators from the burden of filling out Form 325. I’d like to thank the dedicated Commission staff for their ongoing work to modernize our media regulations and save the world from ending in paperwork. From the Media Bureau, thank you to Ty Bream, Michelle Carey, Martha Heller, Brendan Holland, Tom Horan, Jamile Kadre, and Holly Saurer, and from the Office of General Counsel, Susan Aaron and Dave Konczal. 2