The FCC released a Public Notice on September 10, 2024, announcing that the deadline for payment of regulatory fees by licensees and other regulatees is September 26, 2024. The FCC collects annual regulatory fees from most federal licensees and other regulated entities to offset costs associated with the FCC’s enforcement, public service, policy, and rulemaking activities. Fees vary by type of licensee or operating entity. Information regarding the fee schedule for providers of interstate and international telecommunications and telecommunications services, radio frequency spectrum licensees, broadcast licensees, satellite and earth station licensees, submarine cable operators, among others, and the payment process is provided in the Public Notice. The 2024 Fee Schedule is set out in Appendix C to the September 6, 2024, FY 2024 Regulatory Fees Report and Order (“Report and Order”).

Of note, the Interstate Telecommunications Service Provider fee remained relatively steady for 2024 at 0.005420 per subject revenue dollar for calendar year 2023 including in most cases all interstate and international revenues (compared to a fee in 2023 of 0.00540 per subject revenue dollar for calendar year 2022). By comparison, the fees for International Bearer Circuits - Submarine Cable Systems (based on capacity as of December 31, 2023) have been reduced by 37.8 percent.

Further, in the Report and Order, the Commission rejected a proposal to adopt a new regulatory fee category for manufacturers of unlicensed radiofrequency devices finding, on the basis of the instant record, such a fee category is not practicable at this time.

In addition, as referenced in the Public Notice and more extensively discussed in the Report and Order, the FCC is continuing certain temporary relief measures for earth and space station fee payors and others that are eligible to pay their regulatory fees in installments.

All regulatory fees are to be paid electronically through CORES.
The FCC will not issue bills for the regulatory fees. It is the payer’s responsibility to pay the fees it owes based on the Commission’s rules and the Report and Order (regardless of the amount posted in the CORES system).
Failure to meet the regulatory fee payment deadline will result in the assessment of late payment penalties, set by statute at 25%. The FCC does not ordinarily waive late payment penalties.

Please feel free to contact the Kelley Drye Communications team if you have any questions about the FCC regulatory fee payment process.

Federal Communications Commission FY 2024 Regulatory Fees Due September 26, 2024