The FCC has approved a new regulatory fee schedule for FY 2023. The Commission accepted many of the arguments for lowering fees that were presented by NYSBA, the state Broadcasters Associations, and the NAB.
For several years, we have complained that the FCC was charging broadcasters for costs that were unrelated to regulating broadcasting, especially as it applied to the number of employees needed to regulate broadcasting as opposed to other industries. As a result of our efforts, the FCC changes its calculation as to how it assigned employee costs to different bureaus and general overhead.
As a result, broadcasters will see a decrease in their regulatory fees of about 5 to 6%, even though the FCC budget increased by $8 million. TV stations will pay approximately 12% less than last year. Radio fees will also decrease. Radio stations with the smallest service areas will see the biggest decreases, the FCC established a new tier for radio broadcast stations serving markets with under 10,000 people.
Accordingly, the declines for some stations in small markets will be reduced significantly. Here is the fee schedule for radio stations:
TV regulatory fees are done by the precise population served, so they are different for every station, which is why they don’t summarize easily in chart form. TV rates for each station can be found in Appendix G of the FCC’s decision.
Regulatory fees must be paid for initial construction permits that were granted on or before October 1, 2022, for AM/FM radio stations and VHF/UHF broadcast television stations. Regulatory fees must be paid for all broadcast facility licenses granted on or before October 1, 2022.
The Commission will issue a Public Notice shortly that will outline payment procedures for 2023.
The FCC’s decision can be seen here (radio fees start in paragraph 122) and TV fees can be found in Appendix G, page 73. You can see the decision here.
You can find more information about the process for paying regulatory fees in prior years here.