On August 29, 2025, the FCC released a Report and Order (“R&O”) on the assessment and collection of regulatory fees for Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2025. The R&O adopts a schedule of regulatory fees to assess and collect $390,192,000 in regulatory fees for FY 2025. As discussed below, the FCC sets the rounded FY 2025 regulatory fee for CMRS Mobile Services at $.16 per telephone number count/subscriber and for CMRS Messaging Services at $.08 per telephone number count/subscriber.
In addition, the FCC has released a Public Notice announcing that regulatory fees are due September 25, 2025 and providing payors with information on how to pay their fees. Regulatory fees that are not paid in full by the due date will be assessed a 25% late payment penalty, and will accrue interest until paid in full. The FCC has also released a Public Notice providing additional information on procedures to request a waiver, reduction, or deferral of regulatory fees, or to request an installment payment plan.
Wireless Services: CMRS Cellular, mobile and messaging services (fees based on number of subscribers or telephone number count): Regulatory fees must be paid for authorizations that were granted on or before October 1, 2024. The number of subscribers, units or telephone numbers on December 31, 2024 will be used as the basis from which to calculate the fee payment. As it has done in prior years, the FCC is including non-geographic numbers in the calculation of subscribers for each CMRS provider for FY 2025. In instances where a permit or license is transferred or assigned after October 1, 2024, responsibility for payment rests with the holder of the permit or license as of the fee due date. For wireless services with multi-year fees, entities pay the fees in advance for the entire period covered by the five-year or ten-year terms of their initial licenses and pay regulatory fees again only when the license is renewed, or a new license is obtained.
- Appendix A lists the calculations of FY 2025 revenue requirements and the pro-rata fees by category. The FCC sets the rounded FY 2025 regulatory fee for CMRS Mobile Services at $.16 per telephone number (subscriber) count, and for CMRS Messaging Services at $.08 per telephone number (subscriber) count. (See also Appendix B).
- The Commission compiles data from the Numbering Resource Utilization Forecast (“NRUF”) report based on “assigned” telephone number (subscriber) counts that have been adjusted for porting to net Type 0 ports (“in” and “out”). This subscriber count information is posted on the FCC’s Commission Registration System (“CORES”) along with the carrier’s Operating Company Numbers.
- Carriers wishing to revise their subscriber count can do so through CORES. Any such requests must be accompanied by an explanation or supporting documentation.
Satellite Earth Stations: Regulatory fees must be paid for transmit/receive & transmit only earth stations that were licensed or authorized on or before October 1, 2024. For FY 2025, transmit/receive & transmit only earth station authorization/registration holders are required to pay $2,060 per authorization or registration. The Commission has declined to assess regulatory fees on receive-only earth stations. (see FCC 25-31, ¶ 59)
For more information on regulatory fees, visit http://www.fcc.gov/regfees.
The Order will become effective upon publication in the Federal Register.
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