FCC Releases Proposed Annual Regulatory Fees for 2021

The FCC has released its proposed 2021 annual regulatory fees, with a final adoption expected mid to late summer after the customary reply comment stage.
At first blush, the overall fees to be collected by the FCC are up about 10 percent over last year.

“Looking at the various classes of stations, it appears broadcast fees went up a comparable amount overall, though it appears the FCC’s proposal skews the biggest part of the increase towards larger markets,” said TAB’s FCC counsel Scott Flick of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.

For example, Flick noted that a small market station might see an 8 percent increase whereas a large market station could face a 12 percent increase.

Comments on the FCC’s proposal are due by June 3, with reply comments due by June 18.

The FCC is specifically seeking comments on whether to continue its fee relief mechanisms adopted last year to assist individual stations that experienced particularly severe pandemic-related financial difficulties.  

Among other things, these include allowing such stations to seek both a waiver and deferral of regulatory fees in a single request, allowing such requests to be filed electronically, and allowing stations to also include a request for an installment payment plan in that single electronic filing.

Questions? Contact TAB’s Michael Schneider or call (512) 322-9944.