REGULATORY FEES FACT SHEETFederal Communications Commission445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 August 2012 WHAT YOU OWE – MEDIA SERVICES LICENSEES FOR FY 2012 The Commission’s automated filing and payment system (“Fee Filer”) is now available for filing and payment of FY 2012 regulatory fees. Regulatory fee payments must be made no later than 11:59 PM, ET, on September 13, 2012. This Fact Sheet concerns licensees of media services such as: commercial AM & FM radio stations, FM translators and boosters, commercial television stations, satellite TV stations, low power television (LPTV) stations, TV translators and boosters and broadcast auxiliary stations. Media licensees and permit holders owe regulatory fees for each license or permit held as of October 1, 2011, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2011. In instances where a license or permit is transferred or assigned after October 1, 2011, the fee must be paid by the party that is the licensee or holder of the permit on the date that the fee payment is due. Media Notification Letters and Use of 2010 Census Data The Commission will no longer be mailing out hardcopy media notifications to licensees. Instead, licensees can view their station’s attributes for regulatory fee purposes at the FCC-authorized website at www.fccfees.com. Licensees can also view additional information regarding media and regulatory fees on the Commission’s Regulatory Fees Home Page website at http://transition.fcc.gov/fees/regfees.html. Also, every ten years, the data from the United States Census is incorporated into the population counts of AM & FM radio stations on a county basis. These population counts, along with the station’s class and type of service, are the basis for determining regulatory fees. Although the 2010 Census data has been completed, the data was still subject to revisions until recently. Therefore, beginning as of October 1, 2011, the 2010 Census data will be applied to population counts of radio stations as part of our calculations of FY 2012 regulatory fees. Commercial AM/FM Radio Stations Who Must Pay: Licensees of commercial AM and FM radio stations, holders of construction permits for new AM and FM stations, and licensees who hold auxiliary broadcast service licenses for stations operated in conjunction with the main station (e.g., remote pickup stations, aural broadcast STLs, intercity relay stations and low power auxiliary stations), provided that such licenses or permits were granted on or before October 1, 2011, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2011. 2Fee Requirement: Fees are determined for AM and FM radio station licensees based upon class of station and population served. A station’s class is based upon the station's most recent license that was granted on or before October 1, 2011. Fee amounts for AM and FM radio stations are indicated on a 42-block table, as shown on the following page. Fee amounts for individual stations may be obtained by accessing the FCC's internet website at (http://transition.fcc.gov/fees/regfees.html). If you have a commercial AM or FM radio station that is not listed, please contact the FCC Help Desk at (877) 480-3201, Option 4. Holders of construction permits (CPs) for new AM and FM stations for which a license to cover the construction permit had not been granted as of October 1, 2011, owe $550 (AM) and $700 (FM), for each construction permit held, regardless of station class or population served. Licensees also owe $10 for each broadcast auxiliary license held. Payment Type Codes and Payment Amounts For FY 2012 Radio Station Regulatory Fees Population Served AM Class A AM Class B AM Class C AM Class D FM Classes A, B1 & C3 FM Classes B, C, C0, C1 & C2 <=25,000 1217 $725 1223 $600 1229 $550 1235 $625 1241 $700 1247 $875 25,001 - 75,000 1218 $1,475 1224 $1,225 1230 $850 1236 $950 1242 $1,425 1248 $1,550 75,001 - 150,000 1219 $2,200 1225 $1,525 1231 $1,125 1237 $1,600 1243 $1,950 1249 $2,875 150,001 - 500,000 1220 $3,300 1226 $2,600 1232 $1,675 1238 $1,900 1244 $3,025 1250 $3,750 500,001 - 1,200,000 1221 $4,775 1227 $3,975 1233 $2,800 1239 $3,175 1245 $4,800 1251 $5,525 1,200,001 - 3,000,000 1222 $7,350 1228 $6,100 1234 $4,200 1240 $5,075 1246 $7,800 1252 $8,850 >3,000,000 1279 $8,825 1280 $7,325 1281 $5,325 1282 $6,350 1283 $9,950 1284 $11,500 Regulatory Fee Group or Category Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code Construction Permit for New AM Station $550 1215 Construction Permit for New FM Station $700 1216 Broadcast Auxiliary Station License $10 1269 3VHF/UHF/Satellite TV Stations Who Must Pay: Licensees of commercial VHF, UHF and satellite television stations, holders of construction permits for new stations, and licensees who hold auxiliary broadcast service licenses for stations operated in conjunction with the main station (e.g., remote pickup stations, intercity relay stations), provided that such licenses or permits were granted on or before October 1, 2011, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2011. Fee Requirement: Fees for commercial television stations are based upon the size of the Nielsen Designated Market Area (DMA), as indicated in the chart below. Holders of construction permits (CPs) for new television stations for which a license had not been granted as of October 1, 2011, owe $5,825 (VHF), $3,425 (UHF), or $895 (Satellite TV) for each permit held, regardless of market size. Finally, licensees also owe $10 for each broadcast auxiliary license held. Digital Television: FY 2012 regulatory fees will be assessed on all full-service television stations that are licensed as of October 1, 2011. The digital-only exemption (as a matter of Commission policy) is no longer applicable.1 Commercial VHF Stations: Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code Markets 1-10 $80,075 1253 Markets 11-25 $73,475 1254 Markets 26-50 $39,800 1255 Markets 51-100 $20,925 1256 Remaining Markets $5,825 1257 Construction Permit for New VHF Station $5,825 1258 Broadcast Auxiliary Station $10 1269 Commercial UHF Stations: Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code Markets 1-10 $35,350 1259 Markets 11-25 $32,625 1260 Markets 26-50 $21,925 1261 Markets 51-100 $12,750 1262 1 See Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2010, Report and Order, 75 FR 41932 at ¶ 16 (July 19, 2010). 4Remaining Markets $3,425 1263 Construction Permit for New UHF Station $3,425 1264 Broadcast Auxiliary Station $10 1269 Satellite TV Stations: Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code All Markets $1,425 1265 Construction Permit for New Satellite Station $895 1266 LPTV, TV Translators & TV Boosters, FM Translators & FM Boosters The Commission has established a category of “Class A TV” into which some Low Power TV (LPTV) stations were re-classified (See Establishment of a Class A TV Service, 65 FR 29985, MM Docket No. 00-10 (May 10, 2000). Therefore, LPTV stations that were re-classified as Class A TV as of October 1, 2000, as well as existing LPTV stations operating as of October 1, 2011, should pay the LPTV fee of $385 for FY 2012. The digital transition to full-service television stations was completed on June 12, 2009, but Low Power, Class A, and TV Translators/Boosters are not required to make the digital transition until September 1, 2015. Historically, we have only considered the digital transition in the context of regulatory fees applicable to full-service television stations. Consequently, the “digital only” exemption does not apply to Low Power, Class A, and TV Translator/Booster facilities. Because the digital transition in the Low Power, Class A, and TV Translator/Booster facilities is still voluntary, these facilities may transition from analog to digital service at varying times prior to September 1, 2015. During this period of transition, licensees of Low Power, Class A, and TV Translator/Booster facilities may be operating in analog mode, in digital mode, or in an analog and digital simulcast mode. Therefore, a single fee will be assessed for each facility regardless of whether it transmits in analog or digital mode, digital mode, or simulcasting in both analog and digital modes. As more of these facilities convert to digital mode, the Commission will revisit how regulatory fees will be assessed. Who Must Pay: Holders of LPTV, TV translator and booster licenses, and FM translator and booster licenses whose license was granted on or before October 1, 2011, even if the license expired after October 1, 2011. Fee Requirement: Fees are owed on a per-license basis as follows: Type of License Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code Low Power Television Station, TV Translator/TV Booster $385 1267 FM Translator/FM Booster $385 1268 5REPORTING OF BROADCAST AUXILIARIES Broadcast auxiliary licenses, often known as remote pickup stations, aural broadcast STLs, intercity relay stations, and low power auxiliary stations, generally operate in conjunction with a main station. When paying regulatory fees for broadcast auxiliaries, the Facility Id of the main station that is linked to this auxiliary should be reported in the FCC Code 1 field in Fee Filer. Also, to reduce the volume of line items in a single transaction, Fee Filer will combine broadcast auxiliary fees when the number of line items exceeds 250 lines. Each resulting line item will show the Facility Id, the number of call signs associated with the Facility Id, and the combined fee amount. The number of call signs will appear in the Quantity field. The individual call signs, however, will no longer appear in Fee Filer. For those reporting line items of less than 250 lines, there will be no change in the manner of how the broadcast auxiliary fees are reported in Fee Filer. CLAIMING AN EXEMPTION The FCC will no longer accept fee exemption claims at the website www.fccfees.com. If you are fee-exempt, you are required to furnish to the FCC a copy of the documentation that proves your fee- exempt status. Acceptable documentation may include a copy of your IRS determination letter showing your IRS section 501(c) tax exemption status, or state or government certifications, or proof of your station’s noncommercial educational ((NCE) broadcast status at the FCC. Documentation must be received by the due date of September 13, 2012. To claim your fee exemption, you may: E-mail your documentation to the FCC at ARINQUIRIES@fcc.gov, or Fax your documentation to the FCC at (202) 418-7869, or Mail your documentation to: FCC, Office of the Managing Director, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 1-A625, Washington, DC, 20554 MANDATORY USE OF FEE FILER For FY 2012, the use of the online system (Fee Filer) for payment of regulatory fees has not changed from the process used in FY 2011: licensees and regulatees must first enter the Commission’s Fee Filer system with a valid FRN and password, and follow the online prompts to generate a Form 159- E voucher to be submitted with the appropriate regulatory fee payment to the designated entity, U.S. Bank. Only Form 159-E vouchers generated from Fee Filer will be permitted to be submitted with regulatory fee payments to U.S. Bank. Instructions on the use and submission of Form 159-E payments are available on the Commission’s website at the industry-appropriate section under the heading, WhoOwes Fees & What is My Fee FY2012 (http://transition.fcc.gov/fees/regfees.html). Please note that the use of the online Fee Filer system is mandatory, and filers are reminded that hardcopy/paper bills will no longer be mailed by the FCC. However, these bills are available for viewing in the Regulatory Fee link of Fee Filer. For additional information, please contact the Financial Operations Help Desk at 877-480-3201, Option 4. There are many benefits to licensees and regulatees in using the Commission’s Fee Filer system: 1) expeditious submission of payment; 2) no postage or courier costs (when paid electronically through 6Fee Filer); 3) fewer errors caused by illegible handwriting or payments submitted without an FRN number or the appropriate data attributes (e.g., payers will avoid receiving delinquency notices because of payment submission errors); 4) improved recordkeeping and payment reconciliation; 5) reduced administrative burden on both licensees and regulatees on Commission staff in processing regulatory fee payments; 6) less expensive than a wire transfer; and 7) a reduced burden of preparing, mailing, and storing paper documents. LIMITATIONS ON CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS The U.S Treasury is rejecting the processing of Credit Card transactions greater than $49,999.99. The U.S. Treasury has published Treasury Financial Manual (TFM) No. A-2012- 02 (http://fms.treas.gov/tfm/vol1/announc.html) of February 2012 in which agencies are directed to limit Credit Card collections amounts not to exceed $49,999.99. The revised policy, effective June 30, 2012, lowers the maximum dollar amount allowed for a Credit Card transaction (previously at $99,999.99) and eliminates the maximum dollar limit for a debit card transaction. This new limit now applies to Credit Card transactions only. In addition, the U.S. Treasury will reject multiple Credit Card transactions from a single credit card in a single day that accumulate to more than $49,999.99. Transactions that cause the total of the transactions charged to the credit card on that day to exceed the total daily dollar-value limit of $49,999.00 will reject, the transactions that are below the limit will process. The FCC will institute policies that will conform to the U.S. Treasury policy. Entities needing to remit amounts of $50,000.00 or greater need to use alternative methods of payment: check, debit card, ACH or FedWire. Additional information can be found at http://transition.fcc.gov/fees/regfees.html. The FCC will post warnings on various FCC websites to remind entities making payments to the FCC of the U.S. Treasury policy of rejecting credit card transactions that exceed this single day limit of $49,999.99 per Credit Card per day. Regulatory Fee payments that violate the U.S. Treasury limit and are rejected by Treasury causing a payment not to meet the specified payment window requirements will be subjected to interest, fees, and a 25% Late Payment Penalty. - FCC-