Area firms favor pending changes in export regulations.

For the first time in 40 years, the federal Bureau of Export Administration is planning sweeping regulatory changes aimed at increasing the ease with which small- and medium-sized exporters do business.

Among the key changes being proposed: reducing the number of export licenses required by U.S. companies to less than a third of its current level; creating a new comprehensive license to replace five existing types of export licenses; reducing the processing time for applicants by 25%; and simplifying and rewriting regulations to make them understandable without expert assistance.

"We're trying to make the whole export regulation system accessible not just for …