On December 29, 2020, the FCC released a Report and Order adopting a new application fee schedule pursuant to the RAY BAUM Act’s requirement that the FCC adopt cost-based fees. The new fee schedule is based upon an estimate of direct labor costs, where possible, and, where not possible, using a calculation that accounts for the direct labor costs for the small percentage of applications in categories that require occasional staff involvement in processing. The total number of fees has been reduced from 450 to 173, and the fees have been consolidated from eight down to five general categories, which are each subdivided into smaller categories as appropriate. The new categories are as follows:
- Wireless Licensing Fees
- Site-Based Licenses
- Personal Licenses
- Geographic-Based Licenses
- Experimental Radio Service Licenses
- Media Licensing Fees
- Auctioned Broadcast Services
- Commercial Full Power TV Services and Class A TV Stations
- TV Translators and LPTV Stations
- TV Booster Stations
- Cable Television Services
- Commercial AM and FM Radio Stations
- Media Services Foreign Ownership Petitions
- Equipment Approval Fees
- Domestic Service Fees
- International Service Fees.
- Cable Landing License
- International Section 214 Applications
- Foreign Ownership Petitions for Declaratory Ruling
- Recognized Operating Agency
- Data Network Identification Code
- International Signaling Point Code
- Earth Stations
- Space Stations
- Direct Broadcast Satellites
- Unified Space and Earth Station Licenses
- International Broadcast Stations
- Permit to Deliver Programs to Foreign Broadcast stations
- International Fixed Public Radio
Chairman Pai issued a separate statement thanking staff for their work on the new streamlined fee structure and Commissioner Rosenworcel issued separate statement approving in part and dissenting in part, dissenting with the decision to double the cost of filing a formal consumer complaint to $540.
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