WASHINGTON: The FCC has proposed its broadcast and other industry regulatory fees for fiscal year 2012.
The fee methodology for AM and FM radio stations is based on a number of factors, including facility attributes and the population served by each station.
Judging by the chart we’ve shown here, and on page 19 of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the lowest amount the commission proposes to charge is $550 for a Class C AM in a market serving a population of 25,000 and under, while the highest proposed amount is $11,500 for the largest FM classes serving a population of 3 million and up.
That compares to $525 and $11,050 respectively, for fiscal year 2011.
The commission has proposed broadcasters pay $500 for AM construction permits and $700 for FM CPs. That compares to $490 and $675 respectively, for fiscal year 2011.
The way the commission calculates the fees for AM and FM radio stations is based on a number of factors, including facility attributes and the population served by each station. The calculation of the population served is determined by coupling current census data with technical and engineering data. In FY 2012, the commission will be incorporating the results of the 2010 Census data into its broadcast population data. These population counts, along with the station’s class and type of service, are the basis for determining regulatory fees.
The agency seeks public comments on melding the two data sets.
Congress mandates that the agency collect the fees from all the industries it regulates. While the proposed amounts are set out in the NPRM, lawmakers actually determine the final amounts in the commission’s budget appropriation later in the year.
The FCC intends to collect the fees in during a filing window in September.
Comments to MB Docket 12-116 are due by May 31 with replies by June 7.
-- Radio World
