The Federal Communications Commission has published a useful fact sheet showing what your radio station now owes in regulatory fees for this year and answering common questions about fees for media companies.
Payments are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Sept. 20.
We published the fee chart earlier when we reported that the commission had adjusted its process of calculations, which resulted in lower fees than originally planned for U.S. radio stations and a nice break for broadcasters in the smallest markets. The fees are reprinted at the bottom of this story.
Fees apply to commercial AM and FM stations and FM translators and boosters. There also are fees for commercial full-power television stations, TV translators, low-power television (LPTV) stations, and low-power Class A television stations. Fees apply for each license or permit held as of Oct. 1 of last year, even if the license or permit expired later. It it was transferred or assigned after that date, the fee is owed by the holder as of Sept. 20, 2023.
The smallest entities should also note that licensees whose total 2023 annual regulatory fee liability is $1,000 or less are exempt from payment of FY 2023 regulatory fees. For more on that and other questions, the FCC has published a fact sheet for media services lisensees that you can download here as a Word document. (The “de minimus” rule is discussed at the end of that file.)
The commission also has discontinued the use of its Fee Filer system and incorporated it into the Commission Registration System. To use CORES, you need to be registered. To make a payment for 2023, log in here with your username and password.
