REGULATORY FEES FACT SHEETFederal Communications Commission445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 September 5, 2013 WHAT YOU OWE – MEDIA SERVICES LICENSEES FOR FY 2013 Each year, the Commission is required to collect regulatory fees. Licensees and regulatees are assessed fees as set forth in Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2013, Report and Order 78 FR 52433, (August 23, 2013) (“FY 2013 Regulatory Fees Report and Order”). The Commission also publishes industry-specific guidance in Who Owes Fees & What Is My FY 2013 Fee, which can be found on the Commission website at http://transition.fcc.gov/fees/regfees.html. The Commission’s automated filing and payment system (“Fee Filer”) is now available for filing and payment of FY 2013 regulatory fees. Regulatory fee payments must be RECEIVED by the Commission no later than 11:59 PM, Eastern Daylight Time, on September 20, 2013. This Fact Sheet applies to 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, 2012, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2012. In instances where a license or permit is transferred or assigned after October 1, 2012, 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. 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, 2012, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2012. Fee Requirement: Fees for AM and FM radio station licensees are 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, 2012. 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 2commercial AM and 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, 2012, owe $590 (AM) and $750 (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 2013 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 1317 $775 1323 $645 1329 $590 1335 $670 1341 $750 1347 $925 25,001 - 75,000 1318 $1,550 1324 $1,300 1330 $900 1336 $1,000 1342 $1,500 1348 $1,625 75,001 - 150,000 1319 $2,325 1325 $1,625 1331 $1,200 1337 $1,675 1343 $2,050 1349 $3,000 150,001 - 500,000 1320 $3,475 1326 $2,750 1332 $1,800 1338 $2,025 1344 $3,175 1350 $3,925 500,001 - 1,200,000 1321 $5,025 1327 $4,225 1333 $3,000 1339 $3,375 1345 $5,050 1351 $5,775 1,200,001 - 3,000,000 1322 $7,750 1328 $6,500 1334 $4,500 1340 $5,400 1346 $8,250 1352 $9,250 >3,000,000 1379 $9,300 1380 $7,800 1381 $5,700 1382 $6,750 1383 $10,500 1384 $12,025 Regulatory Fee Group or Category Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code Construction Permit for New AM Station $590 1315 Construction Permit for New FM Station $750 1316 Broadcast Auxiliary Station License $10 1369 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, 2012, even if the license or permit expired after October 1, 2012. 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, 2012, owe $6,250 (VHF), $3,675 (UHF), or $960 (Satellite TV) for each permit held, regardless of market size. Finally, licensees also owe $10 for each broadcast auxiliary license held. Digital Television: FY 2013 regulatory fees will be assessed on all full-service television stations that are licensed as of October 1, 2012. The digital-only exemption is no longer applicable.1 Commercial VHF Stations: Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code Markets 1-10 $86,075 1353 Markets 11-25 $78,975 1354 Markets 26-50 $42,775 1355 Markets 51-100 $22,475 1356 Remaining Markets $6,250 1357 Construction Permit for New VHF Station $6,250 1358 Broadcast Auxiliary Station $10 1369 1 See Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2010, Report and Order, 75 FR 41932 at ¶ 16 (July 19, 2010). 4Commercial UHF Stations: Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code Markets 1-10 $38,000 1359 Markets 11-25 $35,050 1360 Markets 26-50 $23,550 1361 Markets 51-100 $13,700 1362 Remaining Markets $3,675 1363 Construction Permit for New UHF Station $3,675 1364 Broadcast Auxiliary Station $10 1369 Satellite TV Stations: Regulatory Fee Payment Type Code All Markets $1,525 1365 Construction Permit for New Satellite Station $960 1366 Note: Beginning in FY 2013, the UHF/VHF and SATELLITE TV fee categories will be assigned bill numbers.2 LPTV, TV Translators & TV Boosters, FM Translators & FM Boosters Important Note: After the digital conversion in 2009, a number of special TV translators (known as DTV replacement translators) were licensed to full service television stations to cover a part of the primary station’s contour that was left unprotected. These translators did not extend the protected contour of the primary station, but operated within the same protected contour and provided the same programming as the primary station. Therefore, these TV translators were granted licenses under the same facility number and the same facility call sign as the primary station. Because these TV translators do not extend the coverage of the primary station, but operate solely within the primary station’s protected contour, these special TV Translators are deemed to be “replacement translators” and are not assessed a separate TV Translator regulatory fee. The Commission has established a category of “Class A TV” into which some Low Power TV 2 A bill is considered an account receivable in the Commission’s accounting system. Bills reflect the amount owed and have a payment due date of the last day of the regulatory fee payment window. Consequently, if a bill is not paid by the due date, it becomes delinquent and is subject to our debt collection procedures. See also 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.1161(c), 1.1164(f)(5), and 1.1910. 5(LPTV) stations were re-classified.3 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, 2012, should pay the LPTV fee of $410 for FY 2013. The digital transition to full-service television stations was completed on June 12, 2009, but the digital transition for Low Power, Class A, and TV Translators/Boosters still remains voluntary with a transition date of September 1, 2015. In the context of regulatory fees, the digital transition was considered applicable to full-service television stations, and not to Low Power, Class A, and TV Translators/Boosters. Because the digital transition for these services is still voluntary, some of these facilities may transition from analog to digital service more rapidly than others. 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, for regulatory fee purposes, a fee will be assessed for each facility operating either in an analog or digital mode. In instances in which a licensee is simulcasting in both analog and digital modes, a single regulatory fee will be assessed for the analog facility and its corresponding digital component, but not for both facilities. As greater numbers of facilities convert to digital mode, the Commission will provide revised instructions on 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, 2013, even if the license expired after October 1, 2012. 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 $410 1367 FM Translator/FM Booster $410 1368 REPORTING 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 linked to the 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 3 (See Establishment of a Class A TV Service, 65 FR 29985, MM Docket No. 00-10 (May 10, 2000). 6those 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. Exempt facilities are required to submit to the Commission a copy of the documentation that proves their fee- exempt status. Acceptable documentation may include a copy of an IRS determination letter showing the IRS section 501(c) tax exemption status, state or government certifications, or proof of the station’s noncommercial educational ((NCE) broadcast status at the Commission. For additional information on exemptions, please see, Fact Sheet: Regulatory Fee Exemptions – FY 2013 at http://transition.fcc.gov/fees/regfees.html. Documentation must be received by the due date of September 20, 2013. To claim a fee exemption: 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 The use of the online Fee Filer system for filing regulatory fees has not changed since the process was first initiated in FY 2009: 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. Use of the online Fee Filer system is mandatory, and only Form 159-E vouchers generated from Fee Filer may be submitted with regulatory fee payments to U.S. Bank. Instructions on the use and submission of Form 159-E payments also are available on the Commission’s website in the publication, Who Owes Fees & What Is My FY 2013 Fee, referenced above. Licensees and regulatees paying regulatory fees by check should note that beginning on October 1, 2013, the Commission will no longer accept checks (including money orders and cashier’s checks) and the accompanying hardcopy forms (e.g., Form 159’s, Form 159-B’s, Form 159-E’s, Form 159-W’s) for the payment of regulatory fees. As of October 1, 2013 all payments must be made by online ACH payment, online credit card, or wire transfer. Any other form of payment (e.g., checks) will be rejected and sent back to the payor. For wire transfers, a Form 159-E should be transmitted via FAX ((314) 418-4232) to U.S. Bank so that the Commission can associate the wire payment with the corresponding regulatory fee payment. This change will affect all payments of regulatory fees made on or after October 1, 2013.4 4 Payors should note that this change will mean that entities that have previously paid both regulatory fees and application fees at the same time by paper check will no longer be able to do so because regulatory fees payments by paper check will no longer be accepted. 7LIMITATIONS ON CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS The U.S Treasury will no longer process credit card transactions greater than $49,999.99. Treasury Financial Manual (TFM) No. A-2012-02 (http://tfm.fiscal.treasury.gov/v1/announc/a-12-02.html), February 2012, directs agencies to limit credit card collections amounts not to exceed $49,999.99. The revised policy, effective June 30, 2012, lowers the maximum dollar amount of $99,999.99 formerly allowed for a credit card transaction to $49,999.99 and eliminates the maximum dollar limit for a debit card transaction. In addition, the U.S. Treasury will reject multiple credit card transactions from a single credit card in a single day that total more than $49,999.99. The system will also reject transactions charged to a credit card on that day that exceed the total daily dollar limit of $49,999.00. The FCC policy will conform to the U.S. Treasury policy. Fee payors needing to remit amounts of $50,000.00 or greater must use alternative methods of payment: check, debit card, ACH or FedWire. Beginning on October 1, 2013, the alternative methods of payment for amounts $50,000 or greater will be limited to debit cards and ACH or FedWire payments. The FCC will post warnings on FCC websites to remind licensees of the U.S. Treasury policy. Additional information can be found at http://transition.fcc.gov/fees/regfees.html. Regulatory fee payments that exceed the U.S. Treasury limit and are rejected by Treasury, causing a payment not to meet the required payment deadline, will be subject to interest, fees, and a 25% late payment penalty. - FCC-