WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Communications Commission has issued a new schedule for filing fees that will see them rise by 17.41%.
As required by law, the increases match changes in inflation measured by the consumer price index, which rose by 17.41% from the first effective date of 2020 fees in April 2021 to April 2024. The new fees will take effect 30 days after they are published in the Federal Register.
“Section 8(b)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended … requires the Commission, in every even-numbered year, to adjust the schedule of fees for processing applications to reflect increases or decreases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rounded to the nearest $5 increment,” the FCC explained in a Jan. 7 order announcing the new fees and costs for different types of filings.
Commissioner Brendan Carr, who has been tapped to chair the FCC in the incoming Trump administration, complained “this means some applications now cost hundreds, or in some cases, thousands of dollars more than they did just a few years ago. It is difficult to support what is ultimately a direct tax increase on startups and other job creators at a time when they are already battling rising costs from inflationary policies.”
Carr noted however, that “the FCC does not have much of a choice here given the law,” which requires that fees be adjusted to keep pace with inflation. “So I will be voting to concur,” he said.
The full order is available here.
