Federal Communications Commission	FCC 26-18

STATEMENT OF
CHAIRMAN BRENDAN CARR

Re:	Modernizing Suspension and Debarment Rules, Report and Order, Direct Final Rule, and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, GN Docket No. 19-309 (March 26, 2026)

As I have long said, the FCC must be a good steward of federal dollars and a vigilant administrator of its USF programs.  In the past, our suspension and debarment rules have only applied to the FCC’s USF programs and are limited to specific misconduct.  Today’s item fixes this gap by building on our other work to strengthen the integrity of our USF programs by proposing to apply suspension and debarment safeguards more broadly, including beyond USF to the FCC’s other programs including its Rip and Replace program, and to a wider range of misconduct.  

This item also promotes greater accountability and policing among program recipients, including by requiring program participants, their board members, and other company executives to disclose prior misconduct and ensure that the parties with whom they do business under our programs are not currently suspended or debarred.  In doing so, we are making clear that bad actors who threaten our networks or misuse federal funds will not be allowed to participate in those programs in the future. 

I would like to thank Tom Driscoll, Irene Ly, Wisam Naoum, Brayden Parker, Michael Scurato, Paula Silberthau, Anjali Singh, Adam Candeub, and Chin Yoo for their hard work on this item.  I look forward to moving this effort forward.