FCC Proposes to Increase Regulatory Fees for Broadcasting
- The New York State Broadcasters Association
- 4 days ago
- 1 min read
Unlike many federal agencies, the FCC is funded by assessing fees to the entities it regulates. In 2026, the Commission must collect $416,112,000, which is an amount equal to its fiscal year (FY) 2026 salaries and expenses.
For the last several years, the FCC proposed slight decreases in regulatory fees for broadcasters. That will end this year. The FCC is proposing to increase its overall budget by 6.6%. Fortunately, the fee increases for broadcasters will be less than 6.6%. But they will increase.
Television fees are based on population coverage. Calculating the per-person increase showed that TV fees will increase by approximately 4.2%
Radio fees are expected to increase around 5 % when compared with 2025. The fees for each class of radio stations are listed in the following chart:
As in years past, we plan to work with other state broadcast associations to reduce the regulatory fees charged to broadcast stations by the FCC.
You can access the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding regulatory fees for 2026 here.
