REGULATORY FEES FACT SHEETFederal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 August 2007 WHAT YOU OWE – INTERNATIONAL AND SATELLITE SERVICES LICENSEES FOR FY 2007 This Fact Sheet pertains to: international public fixed licensees (Part 23), international (HF) broadcast licensees (Part 73), providers of international bearer circuits, earth station licensees (Part 25), geostationary space station licensees (Part 25) and direct broadcast satellite licensees (Part 100), and non-geostationary orbit satellite system licensees (formerly low earth orbit satellite systems) (Part 25). Licensees owe regulatory fees for each license held as of October 1, 2006, even if a license expired after October 1, 2006. In instances where a license or authorization is transferred or assigned after October 1, 2006, the fee must be paid by the party that is the licensee or holder of the authorization on the date that the fee payment is due. If an earth station's license limits its operational authority to a particular satellite system that is not yet operational, a regulatory fee payment for the earth station is not due until the first satellite in the system becomes operational pursuant to section 25.121(d) of our rules. Earth Stations Who Must Pay: VSAT and Equivalent C-Band Antennas: Earth station systems comprising very small aperture terminals making up authorized networks operating in the 12 and 14 GHz bands that provide a variety of communications services to other stations in the network. Each system, authorized pursuant to blanket licensing procedures in Part 25 of the Commission’s rules, consists of a network of technically-identical small fixed-satellite earth stations which often includes a larger hub station. Entities holding these types of authorizations will be assessed a regulatory fee per authorization or registration, as well as a fee for each associated Hub Station. Mobile Satellite Earth Stations: Mobile satellite service providers operate under blanket licenses for mobile antennas (transceivers) which are smaller than one meter and provide voice or data communications, including position location information, for mobile platforms such as cars, buses or trucks. Earth Station Antennas: Transmit/Receive and Transmit-Only Antennas: These licensees include private carriers and common carriers that operate fixed-satellite earth station antennas to provide telephone, television, data, and other forms of communication, including antennas used to transmit and receive and transmit-only. Also included in this category are telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C) earth stations and transportable earth stations. 2 Earth Station Antennas: Receive-Only Antennas: The Commission does not assess regulatory fees for receive-only earth station antennas. Notice of Billing: Earth station licensees will receive a pre-filled regulatory fee bill (FCC Form 159-B) from the Commission for their earth station licenses. We strongly encourage licensees to submit their regulatory fee payment via Fee Filer. However, if choosing to not use Fee Filer, licensees should submit payment with a completed Form 159-B, not the traditional Form 159. Earth station licensees are required to make regulatory fee payments for their other non-billed holdings (international bearer circuits, etc.) and must continue to use the traditional hardcopy Form 159 when making those payments, if choosing not to submit payment via Fee Filer. Fee Calculation: $185 per license or authorization, and $185 for each associated Hub Station. Geostationary Orbit Space Stations and Direct Broadcast Satellite Service Notice of Billing: Geostationary orbit space station and DBS licensees will receive a pre-printed regulatory fee bill (FCC Form 159-B) from the Commission for their satellite space station authorization(s). We strongly encourage licensees to submit their regulatory fee payment via Fee Filer. However, if choosing to not use Fee Filer, licensees should submit payment with a completed Form 159-B, not the traditional Form 159. Satellite licensees are required to make regulatory fee payments for their other non-billed holdings (international bearer circuits, etc.) and must continue to use the traditional hardcopy Form 159 when making those payments, if choosing not to submit payment via Fee Filer. Who Must Pay: Entities authorized to operate space stations in geostationary orbit1 in accordance with section 25.121(d) and direct broadcast satellites (Part 100). Fee Calculation: $109,200 per operational space station in geostationary orbit in accordance with section 25.121(d) as of October 1, 2006. A fee payment is required “upon the commencement of operation of a system's first satellite as reported annually pursuant to sections 25.142(c), 25.143(e), 25.145(g), or upon certification of operation of a single satellite pursuant to section 25.121(d).” Multiple technically identical geostationary satellites co-located at the same orbital location will be considered one station for the purpose of per-space station regulatory fee calculation. 1 Domestic and international satellites, positioned in orbit to remain approximately fixed relative to the earth, authorized to provide communications between satellites and earth stations on a common carrier or private carrier basis in accordance with section 25.121(d). 3 Non-Geostationary Orbit Satellite Systems Notice of Billing: Non-geostationary orbit satellite system licensees will receive a pre-printed regulatory fee bill (FCC Form 159-B) from the Commission for their satellite system authorization. We strongly encourage licensees to submit their regulatory fee payment via Fee Filer. However, if choosing to not use Fee Filer, licensees should submit payment with a completed Form 159-B rather than the traditional Form 159. Satellite licensees are required to make regulatory fee payments for their other non-billed holdings (international bearer circuits, etc.) and must continue to use the traditional hardcopy Form 159 when making those payments, if choosing not to submit payment via Fee Filer. Who Must Pay: Entities authorized to operate systems of satellites in non-geostationary orbit under Part 25 to provide communications between satellites and earth stations on a common carrier or private carrier basis. Fee Calculation: $116,475 per operational system in non-geostationary orbit.2 A fee payment is required “upon the commencement of operation of a system's first satellite as reported annually pursuant to sections 25.142(c), 25.143(e), 25.145(g), or upon certification of operation of a single satellite pursuant to section 25.121(d).” International Bearer Circuits Who Must Pay: Regulatory fees for International Bearer Circuits are to be paid by facilities- based common carriers that have active international bearer circuits as of December 31, 2006 in any transmission facility for the provision of service to an end user or resale carrier, which includes active circuits to themselves or to their affiliates. In addition, non-common carrier satellite operators must pay a fee for each circuit sold or leased to any customer, including themselves or their affiliates, other than an international common carrier authorized by the Commission to provide U.S. international common carrier services. Non-common carrier submarine cable operators are also to pay fees for any and all international bearer circuits sold on an indefeasible right of use (IRU) basis or leased to any customer, including themselves or their affiliates, other than an international common carrier authorized by the Commission to provide U.S. international common carrier services. If you are required to pay regulatory fees, you should pay based on your active 64 KB circuit count as of December 31, 2006. For more information regarding compliance with regulatory fee payment requirements for international bearer circuits, refer to FCC Public Notice: Compliance with Regulatory Fee Requirements by Cable Landing Licensees Operating on a Non-Common Carrier Basis (DA 04- 2027, released July 6, 2004). 2 A LEO system consists of one or more satellites operating in a non-geostationary satellite constellation. Payment is required for any LEO System that has one or more satellites operating pursuant to sections 25.142(c), 25.143(e), 25.145(g), or upon certification of operation of a single satellite pursuant to section 25.121(d) as of October 1, 2006. 4 Fee Calculation: $1.05 per active 64 KB circuit or equivalent. International Public Fixed Radio Licensees Who Must Pay: Licensees authorized as common carriers to provide radio communications between the United States and a foreign point via microwave, HF or troposcatter systems (other than satellite earth stations). This does not include service between the United States and Mexico and the United States and Canada using frequencies above 72 MHz. Fee Calculation: $1,875 per call sign. International (HF) Broadcast Stations Who Must Pay: Licensees of international (HF) broadcast stations, as authorized under Part 73, Subpart F of the Commission’s rules. Fee Calculation: $795 per station license. TYPE OF FEE REGULATORY FEE PAYMENT PAYMENT TYPE CODE Earth Stations $185 per station or Hub Station 0773 Geostationary Orbit Space Stations and Direct Broadcast Satellite Service Licensees $109,200 per operational station 0774 Non-Geostationary Orbit Satellite Systems $116,475 per operational system 0775 International Bearer Circuits $1.05 per active 64 KB circuit or equivalent. *See further guidance and table below. 0776 International Public Fixed Radio Service $1,875 per call sign 0777 International (HF) Broadcast Stations $795 per station license 0778 * Equivalent circuits include the 64 KB circuit equivalent of larger bit stream circuits (e.g., the 64 KB equivalent of a 2.048 MB circuit is 30) and analog circuits such as 3 and 4 KHz circuits used for international services. The number of equivalent 64 KB circuits for analog television channels is given by the following table: 5 ANALOG TELEVISION CHANNEL SIZE (MHz) NO. OF EQUIVALENT 64 KB CIRCUITS 36 630 24 288 18 240 Actual Speed in 64 Kbps Units 1 T-1 24 1 E-1 30 1 DS-3 630 1 STM 1,890 5 Gbps 60,480 10 Gbps 120,960 LIMITATIONS ON CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS The U.S. Treasury will reject 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, debit, or wire transfer. USE FEE FILER We strongly encourage you to submit your FY 2007 regulatory fee payment via Fee Filer. The benefits of electronically filing and paying via Fee Filer are expeditious payment submissions that are less expensive (no U.S. postage if paying online) and less prone to error. It also results in improved record keeping and payment reconciliation efforts, and reduces paperwork burdens on payers and Commission staff alike. Traditionally, regulatees needing to make voluminous payment transactions have had to use hardcopy Form 159-Cs (Continuation Sheets). These payers will benefit even more so by using Fee Filer. Having expanded our pre-billing initiatives in FY 2007, some regulatees may receive more than one Form 159-B; and some may be obligated to pay for fees that were pre-billed and other fees that were not pre-billed. Fee Filer relieves regulatees of the need to follow different filing instructions for different fees; and enables all fee obligations to be paid simply either online or by following pre-printed instructions on a Fee Filer-produced voucher. Fee Filer accepts electronic credit card transactions of up to $99,999.99 and ACH payment transactions from a bank account of an unlimited dollar amount. Fee Filer also facilitates payment by check or wire transfer by producing a one-page Remittance Voucher Form 159-E which can be mailed to our lockbox bank. Fee Filer can be accessed at http://www.fcc.gov/fees/feefiler.html. 6 Instructions for Completing FCC Forms 159 & 159-C We strongly encourage you to submit your regulatory fee payment via Fee Filer. However, if you choose not to submit payment via Fee Filer, nor via the pre-filled Form 159-B for billed service categories, then the following filing instructions apply to licensees who choose to submit payment with a completed hardcopy Form 159. Block (9) - Telephone Number: Ø Enter the contact name and telephone number of the specific individual responsible for submitting the payment and supporting FCC Form 159 and Form 159-C. Block (11) - PAYER FRN: Ø Enter the fee payer's FRN number. Block (21) - APPLICANT FRN: Ø If different from payer, enter the applicant's FRN number. Block (23A) - FCC CALL SIGN/OTHER ID: Ø International bearer circuit regulatees should leave this block blank. Ø Licensees of earth stations, space stations, international public fixed radio and international (HF) broadcast stations should enter their station call sign. Block (24A) - PAYMENT TYPE CODES: Ø Enter 0773 for a fee payment for an earth station. Ø Enter 0774 for a fee payment for a Geostationary Orbit (GSO) space station. Ø Enter 0775 for a fee payment for a Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) space station. Ø Enter 0776 for a fee payment for a 64 KB or equivalent international bearer circuit. Ø Enter 0777 for a fee payment for an international public fixed radio license. Ø Enter 0778 for a fee payment for an international (HF) broadcast station license. Block (25A) - QUANTITY: Ø Fixed-satellite earth station licensees should enter the number of stations. Ø All other earth station licensees (e.g., VSATs, mobile satellites and fixed-satellite antennas) should enter the number of stations and Hub Stations. Ø Space station licensees (i.e., geostationary satellites and direct broadcast satellites) should enter the number of stations. Multiple technically identical geostationary satellites co- located at the same orbital location will be considered one station for the purpose of per- space station regulatory fee calculation. 7 Ø Non-geostationary orbit satellite licensees should enter the number of satellite systems. Ø Entities paying for international bearer circuits should enter the number of 64 KB or equivalent circuits. Ø International public fixed radio licensees should enter the number of stations. Ø International (HF) broadcast station licensees should enter the number of stations. Block (27A) - TOTAL FEE: Ø For earth stations (payment type code 0773), multiply the amount from Block 25A (Quantity) by $185. Ø For geostationary orbit space stations (payment type code 0774), multiply the amount from Block 25A (Quantity) by $109,200. Ø For non-geostationary orbit space stations (payment type code 0775), multiply the amount from Block 25A (Quantity) by $116,475. Ø For international bearer circuits (payment type code 0776), multiply the amount from Block 25A (Quantity) by $1.05. Ø For international public fixed radio licensees (payment type code 0777), multiply the amount from Block 25A (Quantity) by $1,875. Ø For international (HF) broadcast stations (payment type code 0778), multiply the amount from Block 25A (Quantity) by $795. Block (28A) - FCC CODE 1: Ø Leave this block blank. Block (29A) - FCC CODE 2: Ø For geostationary space station licensees ONLY, enter the satellite name. For multiple entries use an FCC Form 159-C continuation sheet. Ø For international bearer circuit payers ONLY, enter the company name. Otherwise, leave this block blank. Block (30) - CERTIFICATION: Ø Provide the printed name and signature of an individual owner/licensee or officer attesting to the accuracy and completeness of the information supplied. Please include a daytime telephone number so that we can contact you if questions arise regarding your payment. - FCC -