Keep It Moving Act

The Keep It Moving Act amends the Communications Act of 1934 to set strict time limits for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to act on applications for transferring or assigning licenses or other authorizations, and for other purposes.

Sec. 2, Time limits for FCC action on applications for transfer of control or assignment: This section adds a new section 417 to the Communications Act. It requires the FCC to determine if an application is complete within 15 days of filing and notify the applicant. If incomplete, the applicant can amend, and the FCC has 5 days to rule on the amendment. If the FCC misses these deadlines, the application is deemed complete. Public notice must be issued within 7 days of a completeness determination. The FCC must issue a final order approving a covered application within 180 days of the public notice date, or within 1 year if it requests additional information or refers the application to a foreign participation committee. This 1-year period can be extended by up to 90 days for a secondary assessment. If the FCC misses a deadline, the applicant can get a court writ to compel immediate approval or force the FCC to seek court permission to deny the application. The FCC can only deny after a writ if a court finds by clear and convincing evidence that approval is not in the public interest. Major amendments or waiver requests filed after public notice can extend deadlines by up to 30 days. Orders denying an application or designating it for hearing require a majority vote of FCC members. Pro forma transactions (insubstantial changes) do not require prior FCC approval but must be reported within 30 days after completion.

Sec. 3, Appeal of commission decisions: This section amends the Communications Act to allow appeals of FCC decisions that deny an application, designate it for hearing, grant it with conditions the applicant objects to, or determine it to be not complete.