Federal Communications Commission	"FCC  XX-XXX"


STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR

Re: 	Elimination of Obligation to File Broadcast Mid-Term Report (Form 397) Under Section 
73.2080(f)(2) (MB Docket No. 18-23); Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, (MB Docket No. 17-105)

Today, we take another step towards modernizing our media regulations.  We do so by eliminating an unnecessary paperwork requirement that only pulls resources away from broadcasters’ efforts to serve their communities.  And we do so in a way that promotes compliance with our EEO rules—an effort that builds on our decision last year to move EEO matters to the Enforcement Bureau, where agents can draw on a broader pool of staff and resources to ensure EEO compliance.  

When the FCC first adopted the Form 397 filing requirement at issue today, the Commission and the public had no other way to verify broadcaster compliance with EEO obligations.  But last March, the FCC completed the process of requiring broadcasters to include this data in their online public files.  As a result, Form 397 is now duplicative, and thus commenters filed no opposition to our proposal to eliminate it.  At the same time, we include an important technical fix in our decision today—which allows the FCC to continue to identify those broadcasters that are subject to our EEO rules.  
	
	With these decisions, the Commission can continue to carry out its important obligations under the EEO laws without the unnecessary cost of the Form 397 filing requirement.  So I want to thank the staff of the Media Bureau for their continued work on the modernization initiative.  The item has my support.



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