REGULATORY FEES FACT SHEETFederal Communications Commission445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 September 2009 WHAT YOU OWE – MEDIA SERVICES LICENSEES FOR FY 2009 This Fact Sheet concerns 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 and broadcast auxiliary stations. Media licensees and permitees owe regulatory fees for each license or permit held as of October 1, 2008, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2008. In instances where a license or permit is transferred or assigned after October 1, 2008, 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, holders of construction permits for new AM and FM stations, and licensees who hold auxiliary broadcast service licenses for stations operated in conjunction with the main station (e.g., remote pickup stations, aural broadcast STLs, intercity relay stations and low power auxiliary stations), provided that such licenses or permits were granted on or before October 1, 2008, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2008. Fee Requirement: Fees are determined for AM and FM radio station licensees 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, 2008. Fee amounts for AM and FM radio stations are indicated on a 42-block table, as shown on the following page. Fee amounts for individual stations may be obtained by accessing the FCC's internet website at (http://www.fcc.gov/fees/regfees.html). If you have a commercial AM or FM radio station that is not listed, please contact the FCC Help Desk at (877) 480-3201, Option 4. 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, 2008, owe $400 (AM) and $650 (FM), for each construction permit held, regardless of station class or population served. Licensees also owe $10 for each broadcast auxiliary license held. 2 Payment Type Codes and Payment Amounts For FY 2009 Radio Station Regulatory Fees Population Served AM Class A AM Class B AM Class C AM Class D FM Classes A, B1 & C3 FM Classes B, C, C0, C1 & C2 <=25,000 0917 $675 0923 $550 0929 $500 0935 $575 0941 $650 0947 $825 25,001 - 75,000 0918 $1,350 0924 $1,075 0930 $750 0936 $875 0942 $1,325 0948 $1,450 75,001 - 150,000 0919 $2,025 0925 $1,350 0931 $1,000 0937 $1,450 0943 $1,825 0949 $2,725 150,001 - 500,000 0920 $3,050 0926 $2,300 0932 $1,500 0938 $1,725 0944 $2,800 0950 $3,550 500,001 - 1,200,000 0921 $4,400 0927 $3,500 0933 $2,500 0939 $2,875 0945 $4,450 0951 $5,225 1,200,001 - 3,000,000 0922 $6,750 0928 $5,400 0934 $3,750 0940 $4,600 0946 $7,250 0952 $8,350 >3,000,000 0979 $8,100 0980 $6,475 0981 $4,750 0982 $5,750 0983 $9,250 0984 $10,850 Regulatory Fee Group or Category Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code Construction Permit for New AM Station $400 0915 Construction Permit for New FM Station $650 0916 Broadcast Auxiliary Station License $10 0969 VHF/UHF/Satellite TV Stations Who Must Pay: Licensees of commercial VHF, UHF and satellite television stations, holders of construction permits for new stations, and licensees who hold auxiliary broadcast service licenses for stations operated in conjunction with the main station (e.g., remote pickup stations, intercity relay stations), provided that such licenses or permits were granted on or before October 1, 2008, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2008. 3 Fee Requirement: Fees for commercial television stations are based upon the size of the Nielsen Designated Market Area (DMA), as indicated in the chart below. Holders of construction permits (CPs) for new television stations for which a license had not been granted as of October 1, 2008, owe $5,950 (VHF), $1,950 (UHF), or $650 (Satellite TV) for each permit held, regardless of market size. Finally, licensees also owe $10 for each broadcast auxiliary license held. Digital Television: In FY 2009, the Commission will assess regulatory fees on all analog full- service television stations licensed as of October 1, 2008, unless they meet any of the fee exemption criteria. As in prior years, digital-only television stations – stations that do not have an analog component – licensed as of October 1, 2008 are not subject to FY 2009 regulatory fees as a matter of Commission policy. Holders of construction permits (CPs) for new or existing UHF, VHF, and satellite television stations, for which a license had not been granted as of October 1, 2008, are subject to FY 2009 regulatory fees, only on their analog construction permits. Commercial VHF Stations: Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code Markets 1-10 $77,575 0953 Markets 11-25 $60,550 0954 Markets 26-50 $37,575 0955 Markets 51-100 $22,950 0956 Remaining Markets $5,950 0957 Construction Permit for New VHF Station $5,950 0958 Broadcast Auxiliary Station $10 0969 Commercial UHF Stations: Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code Markets 1-10 $24,250 0959 Markets 11-25 $21,525 0960 Markets 26-50 $13,350 0961 Markets 51-100 $7,600 0962 Remaining Markets $1,950 0963 Construction Permit for New UHF Station $1,950 0964 Broadcast Auxiliary Station $10 0969 4 Satellite TV Stations: Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code All Markets $1,275 0965 Construction Permit for New Satellite Station $650 0966 LPTV, TV Translators & TV Boosters, FM Translators & FM Boosters The Commission has established a category of “Class A TV” into which some Low Power TV (LPTV) stations were re-classified (See Establishment of a Class A TV Service, 65 FR 29985, MM Docket No. 00-10 (May 10, 2000). Therefore, LPTV stations that were re-classified as Class A TV as of October 1, 2000, as well as existing LPTV stations operating as of October 1, 2008, should pay the LPTV fee of $400 for FY 2009. Who Must Pay: Holders of LPTV, TV translator and booster licenses, and FM translator and booster licenses whose license was granted before October 1, 2008, even if the license expired after October 1, 2008. 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 $400 0967 FM Translator/FM Booster $400 0968 MANDATORY USE OF FEE FILER Beginning this year, licensees must begin the process of filing their annual regulatory fee obligation by entering the Commission’s Fee Filer system with a valid FRN and password. Only Form 159-E vouchers generated from Fee Filer will be permitted to be submitted with regulatory fee payments to U.S. Bank. There are many benefits to licensees for using the Commission’s Fee Filer system: 1) expeditious submission of payment; 2) no postage or courier costs (when paid electronically through Fee Filer); 3) fewer errors caused by illegible handwriting or payments submitted without an FRN number or the appropriate data attributes (e.g., payers will avoid receiving delinquency notices because of payment submission errors); 4) improved recordkeeping and payment reconciliation; 5) reduced administrative burden on both licensees and on Commission staff in processing regulatory fee payments; 6) less expensive than a wire transfer; and 7) a reduced burden of preparing, mailing, and storing paper documents. 5 Bear in mind that the U.S. Treasury rejects credit card transactions greater than $99,999.99 from a single credit card in a single day, in accordance with U.S. Treasury Bulletin No. 2005-03. If you need to pay $100,000.00 or more, then you must pay via a check, Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit, or wire transfer. An ACH debit can be accomplished via Fee Filer. If you choose to pay by check or money order, you must print the fee filer generated Form 159-E voucher and mail it along with your check/money order to U.S. Bank. If you choose to pay via wire transfer, you must fax your Form 159-E voucher to U.S. Bank one hour in advance of the wire transaction. - FCC-