The "Keep It Moving Act" introduces new provisions to the Communications Act of 1934, primarily aimed at establishing strict time limits for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to process applications for the transfer of control or assignment of licenses and other authorizations. The bill mandates that the FCC determine an application's completeness within 15 days and issue a public notice within 7 days of deeming it complete. For final action, the FCC must generally approve a covered application within 180 days of the public notice date. This deadline extends to one year if the Commission requests additional information or refers the application to a foreign participation committee, with a potential 90-day extension for secondary assessments. Notably, formal requests for additional information by the FCC do not toll or restart these deadlines. A significant provision addresses the consequences of the FCC missing these deadlines. If the Commission fails to issue a final order within the prescribed timeframe, the applicant can petition a United States court for a writ to compel immediate approval . Alternatively, the writ may compel the FCC to file a complaint in court to seek an order permitting denial, requiring the Commission to prove by clear and convincing evidence that approval is not in the public interest. The bill also clarifies that while approval orders can be delegated, any order denying an application or designating it for a hearing must be adopted by a majority vote of the Commissioners. Furthermore, it explicitly exempts "pro forma transactions" from requiring advance FCC approval, though they still necessitate a notification to the Commission within 30 days of completion.
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Timeline
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Science, Technology, Communications
Keep It Moving Act
USA119th CongressHR-7742| House
| Updated: 2/26/2026
The "Keep It Moving Act" introduces new provisions to the Communications Act of 1934, primarily aimed at establishing strict time limits for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to process applications for the transfer of control or assignment of licenses and other authorizations. The bill mandates that the FCC determine an application's completeness within 15 days and issue a public notice within 7 days of deeming it complete. For final action, the FCC must generally approve a covered application within 180 days of the public notice date. This deadline extends to one year if the Commission requests additional information or refers the application to a foreign participation committee, with a potential 90-day extension for secondary assessments. Notably, formal requests for additional information by the FCC do not toll or restart these deadlines. A significant provision addresses the consequences of the FCC missing these deadlines. If the Commission fails to issue a final order within the prescribed timeframe, the applicant can petition a United States court for a writ to compel immediate approval . Alternatively, the writ may compel the FCC to file a complaint in court to seek an order permitting denial, requiring the Commission to prove by clear and convincing evidence that approval is not in the public interest. The bill also clarifies that while approval orders can be delegated, any order denying an application or designating it for a hearing must be adopted by a majority vote of the Commissioners. Furthermore, it explicitly exempts "pro forma transactions" from requiring advance FCC approval, though they still necessitate a notification to the Commission within 30 days of completion.