The Federal Reserve may be concerned about the pace of inflation, but broadcasters will likely be glad that the Consumer Price Index-Urban changed less than 2% from October 2013 through October 2015.
That’s because the Federal Communications Commission is statutorily required to revise its application fees every two years based upon changes in the CPI.
Effective Aug. 30, fees increased 1.8%, reflecting the change during that time period, the FCC announced in a public notice.
Updated schedules have been posted for the Enforcement Bureau, Media Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology among others; those are ones that radio and TV stations are most likely to use.
For example, the fee for a new or major change application for an FM station now is $3,830. A minor change app for an AM station costs $1,070. A call sign change request by a radio or TV station has a fee of $105, while the cost to request transfer of control for an FM or TV translator is $155.
Copies of the new fee filing guides may be obtained online or by calling Forms Distribution at (202) 418-3676 or 1-800-418-3676.
Section 8(b) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989, requires cost-of-living adjustments to the application fee schedule every two years after Oct. 1, 1991. Increases in the dollar amount of all Section 8 application fees are based on the percentage change in the CPI-U from the date of enactment of the legislation. Revenues generated by Section 8 application fees are deposited in the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury.
