FCC Raised Fees Reflect Inflation; Carr Reluctantly Concurs
The FCC increased application fees to reflect a 17.41% increase in the Consumer Price Index, said an order in Wednesday’s Daily Digest. The order was unanimous, with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, President-elect Donald's Trump pick for chairman, reluctantly concurring, according…
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to a statement. The increase “means some applications now cost hundreds, or in some cases, thousands of dollars more than they did just a few years ago,” Carr said. “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,” but “the law does not provide the FCC with much discretion in terms of how these fees are assessed.” The agency is required to adjust the fees to reflect the CPI in every even-numbered year. The 2022 increase reflected a rise in the CPI of 11.6%. The higher fees mean a major change for full-power TV stations has risen from a $4,755 application fee to $5,000, according to the 2022 and 2025 orders. The application fee for a petition for declaratory ruling for a non-geostationary orbit foreign-licensed space station to access the U.S. market rose from $16,795 to $17,670, the orders said.