Rosenworcel Pulls Robocall/Robotext Item From Meeting Agenda

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s office pulled a draft order on robotexts and robocalls from the agenda for the commissioners' open meeting Thursday and returned it to circulation. The FCC issued a notice late Tuesday that the item was deleted from the agenda. Some observers warned last week of potential opposition from Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington over First Amendment concerns, though they noted commissioners have traditionally embraced additional robocall rules as one of the FCC's top consumer items.

The FCC “is moving the item to circulation, which will reopen the ability for public comment and give the Office of General Counsel additional time to review the record, including processes and procedures for the blocking of robocalls and robotexts,” an agency spokesperson said.

Pulling an item from the agenda shortly before a meeting can indicate that a chair lacks the votes for approval, but an FCC official told us that’s not the case here. FCC Democrats were expected to approve the item, but the draft is being pulled to make changes that could render it more palatable to the Republican offices, the FCC official said.