Comments Due March 27 on Space Regulatory Fee Alternatives
The FCC is seeking feedback on charging regulatory fees for all authorized satellites and earth stations, not just ones that are operational. That is among the regulatory fee proposals in a Further NPRM issued Tuesday. The FNPRM asks for input…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
by March 27, replies April 11, in docket 24-85 on a variety of ideas brought up during the FY 2024 space regulatory fee proceeding. The FNPRM tentatively promotes an alternate methodology for assessing satellite regulatory fees, with earth station fees and satellite fees being allocated proportionally to the FCC Space Bureau resources involved in licensing and regulation of each segment, and with different fee categories for non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) versus geostationary orbit satellites. It also asks about other options beyond that alternate methodology, such as dividing the existing NGSO fee category into two tiers: constellations of up to 1,000 satellites and constellations of more than 1,000. It also asks about the idea of creating tiers of "small" and "large" NGSO constellations in the existing "less complex" NGSO fee category and creating subcategories of earth station regulatory fee payers. Chairman Brendan Carr said it is "important that the FCC put the right regulatory framework in place -- one that will further fuel the space industry’s growth."