NEWS
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C.  20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.
See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
March 24, 2009 David Fiske (202) 418-0513
COMMISSION ADOPTS IMPROVED REGULATORY FEE METHODOLOGY FOR 
INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE CABLE OPERATORS 
The Federal Communications Commission announced today that it has adopted an 
improved regulatory fee methodology for international submarine cable operators.  Today’s 
action responds to the international submarine cable operator community, which has advocated a 
revision to the historic per-circuit regulatory fee approach.  This Order follows a Commission 
commitment last August to reevaluate the issue of regulatory fees paid by international 
submarine cable operators and to release an order providing a new regulatory fee methodology.    
The new methodology, which is slated to go into effect this fiscal year, is based on a 
consensus proposal submitted by a group representing 35 of 42 international submarine cable 
operators, and accounting for over 95 percent of the international circuits carried on submarine 
cable systems. The Commission recognized that revisions to its regulatory fee methodology 
were needed to reflect the significant growth in submarine cable capacity in recent years.
In today’s Order, the Commission revises its rules to calculate these regulatory fees on a 
per cable landing license basis – with higher fees for larger international submarine cable 
systems and lower fees for smaller systems.  This replaces the previous methodology that 
calculated fees on a per active circuit basis.  In addition to being more administratively efficient, 
the new methodology allocates regulatory fees among service providers in an equitable and 
competitively neutral manner, without distinguishing between common carriers and non-
common carriers and by assessing a flat per cable landing license fee for all international 
submarine cable systems based on size of the system.  
Action by the Commission, March 17, 2009 by Second Report and Order (FCC 09-21).  
Chairman Copps, Commissioners Adelstein and McDowell, with Chairman Copps, 
Commissioners Adelstein and McDowell issuing separate statements.
For additional information, contact Mika Savir at (202) 418-0384 or mika.savir@fcc.gov. 
MD Docket No. 08-65
– FCC –
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