REGULATORY FEES FACT SHEET

Federal Communications Commission

445 12

St., S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20554

September 8, 2020

DA 20-1047

WHAT YOU OWE – MEDIA SERVICES LICENSEES FOR FY 2020

On August 31, 20120, the Commission released Assessment of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020,

Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FY 2020 Regulatory Fees Report and Order).

This document is available for viewing at http://www.fcc.gov/regfees. The Commission’s automated filing

and payment system (Fee Filer) is available for filing and viewing of FY 2020 regulatory fees. While FY 2020

regulatory fees will not become effective until the rulemaking is published in the Federal Register, regulatees

at their own discretion, may submit payments at any time before the FY 2020 regulatory fees due date

of. Regulatory fee payments MUST BE RECEIVED

by the Commission no later than 11:59 PM,

Eastern Daylight Time, on September 25, 2020.

Commission licensees and regulatees should consult the 2020 Regulatory Fees Report and Order for specific

information concerning regulatory fee payment obligations, the regulatory fee process, and regulatory fee

requirements for payment. The Commission also publishes industry-specific guidance in Who Owes Fees &

What Is My FY 2020 Fee, which can be found on the Commission website at http://www.fcc.gov/regfees.

This Fact Sheet applies to licensees of media services such as: commercial AM & FM radio stations, FM

translators and boosters, commercial television stations, satellite TV stations, low power television (LPTV)

stations, TV translators and boosters (in FY 2015, broadcast auxiliary fees were eliminated from being

assessed regulatory fees). Media licensees and permit holders owe regulatory fees for each license or permit

held as of October 1, 2019, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2019. In instances where a

license or permit is transferred or assigned after October 1, 2019, the fee must be paid by the party that is the

licensee or holder of the permit on the date that the fee payment is due.

Commercial AM/FM Radio Stations

Who Must Pay: Licensees of commercial AM and FM radio stations, and holders of construction permits for

new AM and FM stations, provided that such licenses or permits were granted on or before October 1, 2019,

even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2019. Beginning in FY 2015 and thereafter, licensees

that hold broadcast auxiliary licenses (e.g. remote pickup stations, aural broadcast STLs, intercity relay

stations, and low power auxiliary stations) no longer need to pay regulatory fees on their broadcast auxiliaries;

the regulatory fee for broadcast auxiliary licenses was eliminated.

AM Expanded Radio Stations No Longer Exempt: In FY 2014, the Commission lifted the exemption on AM

Expanded Band radio stations (1605-1705 kHz), thereby assessing regulatory fees on these radio stations on the

same basis as AM standard band licensees. After providing the exemption for nearly two decades to reduce

The Commission has instituted a mandatory electronic payment policy, which means that licensees will not be able to

make regulatory fee payments by check, money order, or cashier’s check. Only credit card, ACH, and wire transfer

payments will be accepted. Please make sure that your electronic fee payment is made and the transaction is complete by

the due date of FY 2020 regulatory fees.

interference in the standard band, the Commission determined that there is no longer a reason to provide this

regulatory fee exemption to AM broadcasters. Consequently, AM Expanded Band radio stations will be

assessed a regulatory fee on the same basis as standard band licensees.

Additional Media Regulatory Fee Information: In addition to regulatory fee information located at the

Commission’s website at http://www.fcc.gov/regfees, additional media regulatory fee data can be viewed at

the website: www.fccfees.com.

Fee Requirement: Fees for AM and FM radio station licensees are based upon class of station and population

served. A station’s class is based upon the station's most recent license that was granted on or before October

1, 2019. Fee amounts for AM/FM radio stations are indicated on a 48-block table, as shown below. Fee

amounts for individual stations may be obtained by accessing the FCC's internet website at

(http://www.fcc.gov/regfees). If you have a commercial AM and FM radio station that is not listed, please

contact the FCC Help Desk at (877) 480-3201, Option 6, or (202) 418-1995.

Holders of construction permits (CPs) for new AM and FM stations for which a license to cover the

construction permit had not been granted as of October 1, 2019, owe $610 (AM) and $1,075 (FM), for each

construction permit held, regardless of station class or population served. Licensees who hold broadcast

auxiliaries do not have to pay a regulatory fee for these licenses.

Payment Type Codes and Payment Amounts For FY 2020 Radio Station Regulatory Fees

Population

Served

Class A

Class B

Class C

Class D

Classes

A, B1 &

Classes

B, C, C0, C1

& C2

<=25,000

2017

$975

2023

$700

2029

$610

2035

$670

2041

$1,075

2047

$1,225

25,001 - 75,000

2018

$1,475

2024

$1,050

2030

$915

2036

$1,000

2042

$1,625

2048

$1,850

75,001 - 150,000

2019

$2,200

2025

$1,575

2031

$1,375

2037

$1,500

2043

$2,425

2049

$2,750

150,001 - 500,000

2020

$3,300

2026

$2,375

2032

$2,050

2038

$2,275

2044

$3,625

2050

$4,150

500,001 - 1,200,000

2021

$4,925

2027

$3,550

2033

$3,075

2039

$3,400

2045

$5,450

2051

$6,200

1,200,001 - 3,000,000

2022

$7,400

2028

$5,325

2034

$4,625

2040

$5,100

2046

$8,175

2052

$9,300

3,000,001 – 6,000,000

2079

$11,100

2080

$7,975

2081

$6,950

2082

$7,625

2083

$12,250

2084

$13,950

>6,000,000

2093

$16,675

2094

$11,975

2095

$10,425

2096

$11,450

2097

$18,375

2098

$20,925

Regulatory Fee Group or Category

Regulatory Fee

Payment Type Code

Construction Permit for New AM Station

$610

2015

Construction Permit for New FM Station

$1,075

2016

Broadcast Auxiliary Station License

No Fee

VHF/UHF/Satellite TV Stations

Who Must Pay: Licensees of commercial VHF, UHF (“Digital TV Stations) and satellite television stations,

and holders of construction permits for new stations, provided that such licenses or permits were granted on or

before October 1, 2019, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2019. (In FY 2014, the

Commission consolidated the UHF and VHF Television stations into a single Digital Television Stations fee

category, by market size, for purposes of paying regulatory fees.)

Fee Requirement: Beginning in FY 2020, television regulatory fees will be calculated on the basis of

population rather than on the basis of the Nielsen Designated Market Area (DMA). For a complete listing of

FY 2020 television regulatory fees by call sign, please visit the following website:

https://www.fcc.gov/licensing-databases/fees/regulatory-fees. The document to view is, “Appendix G – FY

2020 Television Station Regulatory Fees by Call Sign (excel spreadsheet)”, that will be posted on the

Commission’s website.

For holders of construction permits (CPs) of new television stations for which a license had not been granted

as of October 1, 2019, the fee is $4,950 for Digital Television construction permits. Licensees no longer owe a

regulatory fee for broadcast auxiliary licenses.

Digital Television: An FY 2020 regulatory fee will be assessed on all full-service television stations that are

licensed as of October 1, 2019. The digital-only exemption is no longer applicable.

Commercial Digital Stations:

Regulatory Fee

Payment Type Code

Television Fee Factor per population

$.007837

2010

Construction Permit for New Digital Station

$4,950

2058

Broadcast Auxiliary Station

No Fee

Satellite Television

See TV Fee Factor

Note: Since television regulatory fees have now become a quantity-based fee, the television fee amount is

calculated in Fee Filer by multiplying the Fee Factor of $.007837 by a specified quantity. The “quantity” field

in Fee Filer represents the population count. Also, there is no separate Satellite Television fee. Satellite

Television fees are calculated just like full-service television fees by multiplying the population count by the

Television Fee Factor of $.007837.

Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2013, MD Docket No. 08-65, Report and Order, 28 FCC

Rcd 12351, 12361-62, paras 29-31 (2013) (FY 2013 Report and Order).

See Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2010, Report and Order, 75 FR 41932 at ¶ 16 (July

19, 2010).

Satellite TV Stations:

Regulatory Fee

Payment Type Code

Construction Permit for New Satellite Station

No Fee

Note: Beginning in FY 2013 and thereafter, the Digital Television fee category (UHF/VHF) and SATELLITE

TV fee categories were assigned bill numbers.

LPTV, TV Translators & TV Boosters, FM Translators & FM Boosters

Important Note: After the digital conversion in 2009, a number of special TV translators (known as DTV

replacement translators) were licensed to full-service television stations to cover a part of the primary station’s

contour that was left unprotected. These translators did not extend the protected contour of the primary

station, but operated within the same protected contour and provided the same programming as the primary

station. Therefore, these TV translators were granted licenses under the same facility number and the same

facility call sign as the primary station. Because these TV translators do not extend the coverage of the

primary station, but operate solely within the primary station’s protected contour, these special TV Translators

are deemed to be “replacement translators” and are not assessed a separate TV Translator regulatory fee.

The Commission has established a category of “Class A TV” into which some Low Power TV (LPTV)

stations were re-classified.

Therefore, LPTV stations that were re-classified as Class A TV as of October 1,

2000, as well as existing LPTV stations licensed as of October 1, 2019, should pay the LPTV fee of $315 for

FY 2020.

The digital transition to full-service television stations was completed on June 12, 2009, but the digital

transition for Low Power, Class A, and TV Translators/Boosters still remains voluntary with a future transition

date. In the context of regulatory fees, the digital transition was considered applicable to full-service television

stations, and not to Low Power, Class A, and TV Translators/Boosters. Because the digital transition for these

services is still voluntary, some of these facilities may transition from analog to digital service more rapidly

than others. During this period of transition, licensees of Low Power, Class A, and TV Translator/Booster

facilities may be operating in analog mode, in digital mode, or in an analog and digital simulcast mode.

Therefore, for regulatory fee purposes, a fee will be assessed for each facility operating either in an analog or

digital mode. In instances in which a licensee is simulcasting in both analog and digital modes, a single

regulatory fee will be assessed for the analog facility and its corresponding digital component, but not for both

facilities. As greater numbers of facilities convert to digital mode, the Commission will provide revised

instructions on how regulatory fees will be assessed.

Who Must Pay: Holders of LPTV, TV translator and booster licenses, and FM translator and booster licenses

whose license was granted on or before October 1, 2019, even if the license expired after October 1, 2019.

A bill is considered an account receivable in the Commission’s accounting system. Bills reflect the amount owed and

have a payment due date of the last day of the regulatory fee payment window. Consequently, if a bill is not paid by the

due date, it becomes delinquent and is subject to our debt collection procedures. See also 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.1161(c),

1.1164(f)(5), and 1.1910.

(See Establishment of a Class A TV Service, 65 FR 29985, MM Docket No. 00-10 (May 10, 2000).

Fee Requirement: Fees are owed on a per-license basis as follows:

Type of License

Regulatory Fee

Payment Type Code

Low Power Television Station, TV

Translator/TV Booster

$315

2067

FM Translator/FM Booster

$315

2068

CLAIMING AN EXEMPTION

The FCC will no longer accept fee exemption claims at the website www.fccfees.com. Exempt facilities

are required to submit to the Commission a copy of the documentation that proves their fee-exempt status.

Acceptable documentation may include a copy of an IRS determination letter showing the IRS section 501(c)

tax exemption status, state or government certifications, or proof of the station’s noncommercial educational

((NCE) broadcast status at the Commission. For additional information on exemptions, please see, Fact Sheet:

Regulatory Fee Exemptions – FY 2020 at http://www.fcc.gov/regfees. Documentation must be received by the

due date of September 25, 2020. To claim a fee exemption:

E-mail your documentation to the FCC at [email protected], or

Fax your documentation to the FCC at (202) 418-7869

MANDATORY USE OF FEE FILER

The use of the online Fee Filer system for filing regulatory fees has not changed since the process was first

initiated in FY 2009: licensees and regulatees must first enter the Commission’s Fee Filer system with a valid

FRN and password, and follow the online prompts to review their data and submit an electronic fee payment.

Use of the online Fee Filer system is mandatory, and payments in the form of checks, money orders, and

cashier’s checks will not be accepted.

In making a wire transfer, please fax the “Wire Transfer

Instructions” from Fee Filer to the Federal Communications Commission at (202) 418-2843 at least one hour

before initiating the wire transfer (but on the same business day) so as not to delay crediting their account.

These Wire Transfer Instructions contain valuable information (e.g. FRN, Voucher Number, Payer

Name, and the Amount of the Wire) that will help to post the payment more quickly, and avoid costly

delays that could result in penalties and interest for missing the payment due date. Please note that most

wire transfers initiated after 6:00 p.m. (EDT) will be credited the next business day.

PLEASE NOTE: As a reminder, all Regulatory Fees MUST be filed, submitted and paid through the Fee Filer

System with the exception of wire transfers, which are initiated from the payors financial institution. If you

have any questions, please contact 877-480-3201, Option 6. In addition, we are also urging all entities who

send wire transfer payments to include the Voucher Number, Payer Name, and Payer FRN in the wire

description area.

Payors should note that this change will mean that entities that have previously paid both regulatory fees and application

fees at the same time by paper check will no longer be able to do so because regulatory fees payments by paper check will

no longer be accepted.

LIMITATIONS ON CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS

In accordance with U.S. Treasury Announcement No. A-2014-04 (July 2014), the amount that can be

charged on a credit card for transactions with federal agencies has been reduced to $24,999.99.

Previously, the credit card limit was $49,999.99. This lower transaction amount is effective June 1,

2015. Transactions greater than $24,999.99 will be rejected. This limit applies to single payments or

bundled payments of more than one bill. Multiple transactions to a single agency in one day may be

aggregated and treated as a single transaction subject to the $24,999.99 limit. Customers who wish to

pay an amount greater than $24,999.99 should consider available electronic alternatives such as Visa

or MasterCard debit cards, ACH debits from a bank account, and wire transfers. Each of these

payment options is available after filing regulatory fee information in Fee Filer. Further details will be

provided regarding payment methods and procedures at the time of FY 2020 regulatory fee collection

in Fact Sheets, available at https://www.fcc.gov/regfees.

Regulatory fee payments that exceed the U.S. Treasury limit and are rejected by Treasury, causing a

payment not to meet the required payment deadline, will be subject to interest, fees, and a 25 percent

late payment penalty.

DE MINIMIS REGULATORY FEE LEVEL

Regulatees whose total FY 2020 annual regulatory fee liability, including all categories of fees for

which payment is due, is $1,000 or less are exempt from payment of FY 2020 regulatory fees. The de

minimis threshold applies only to filers of annual regulatory fees (not regulatory fees paid through

multi-year wireless filings), and it is not a permanent exemption. Rather, each regulate will need to

reevaluate their total fee liability each fiscal year to determine whether they meet the de minimis

exemption. Regulatees are responsible for calculating their own total fee obligation to determine whether

they qualify for this de minimis exemption. The Commission reserves the right to request documentation

that supports a de minimis exemption claim.

Important Note: If the sum total of all FY 2020 regulatory fees is $1,000 or less, you are considered de

minimis and do not have to pay FY 2020 regulatory fees. If you are de minimis, you will not need to

report this exemption to the Commission.

- FCC-

Customers who owe an amount on a bill, debt, or other obligation due to the federal government are prohibited from

splitting the total amount due into multiple payments. Splitting an amount owed into several payment transactions

violates the credit card network and Fiscal Service rules. An amount owed that exceeds the Fiscal Service maximum

dollar amount, $24,999.99, may not be split into two or more payment transactions in the same day by using one or

multiple cards. Also, an amount owed that exceeds the Fiscal Service maximum dollar amount may not be split into two

or more transactions over multiple days by using one or more cards.