FCC application fees are set to increase by about 17% on May 23.
These fees are separate from the annual regulatory fees that broadcast licensees pay. Changes are tied to the Consumer Price Index and are updated every two years at the instruction of Congress. The most recent increase was about 11%.
The commission announced the increase in January. The changes have now been published in the Federal Register, setting the effective date of May 23. The increase affects not only broadcasters but licensees in wireless telecommunications, enforcement, experimental radio services and other areas of FCC regulation.
Some samples of the updated fees: A license renewal application for a commercial FM or AM costs $365. A request for a minor mod to a commercial FM is $1,485. A call sign change is $190. An application for a CP for an FM booster costs $830. A biennial ownership report costs $95. And to apply for a major change to an FM CP costs $3,870.
That’s just a sampling. You can read more about the increase in a January blog post by broadcast attorney David Oxenford.
Comment on this or any article. Email [email protected].
