Broadcasters Slam FCC Regulatory Fee Plan, CenturyLink Wants Changes

for why, said NAB. The NPRM “spends a mere four words” explaining why it proposes increasing the fees for TV satellite stations, said Gray and Nexstar. “The proposed elimination of a separate flat fee for satellite stations is unjustified as a matter of policy, would be arbitrary and capricious if implemented, and has been insufficiently noticed to regulates.” The FCC has a “checkered history” of not explaining regulatory fee changes, NAB said. Expand the base of contributors to regulatory fees beyond only FCC license holders, it said. Ray Baum’s Act eliminates a reference to licensees from the agency’s regulatory fee authority, the association said. “Unlicensed spectrum users and their advocates” have “placed significant demands on limited Commission resources,” NAB said. “As it stands now, radio and TV stations are paying for the FCC staff to handle this work.” Marantha Broadcasting said the FCC proposal to base regulatory fees for broadcasters on population served rather than designated market area will disadvantage VHF stations, which must rely on heightened power to overcome interference: “In many cases these fees are being disproportionally assessed on parties who can least afford them.” Waive the regulatory fees of radio broadcasters assisted through its incubator program, commented the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters and Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council. The fees could “render it more difficult for incubated entities to thrive under the program,” they said. Reallocate the distribution of fees between submarine cables and other international bearer circuits to put more of the burden on the cables, asked CenturyLink. Adjust the fees “to better align the fees imposed with the statutory requirement that such fees be ‘related to the benefits provided to the payor of the fee by the Commission’s activities,’” the telco said.