NAB To FCC: Reorder Fees Following Auction

NAB is urging the FCC to reallocate a portion of regulatory fees from the television industry to wireless broadband providers to reflect changes stemming from the broadcast spectrum incentive auction.

The spectrum auction, NAB said, “will enable wireless service providers to improve service and enlist more customers. As a result, additional commission regulation and oversight of wireless providers by full-time employees in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau will be demanded, warranting an increase in regulatory fees assessed to wireless providers to recover those costs.

“Given the nature of the regulatory fee process, in which Congress fixes an amount of fees that the commission must collect, the most reasonable, equitable method way for the commission to recoup these costs following the auction is to reallocate fees from television stations fees that cease operations to the wireless broadband providers that will reap the benefits of the repurposed spectrum.”

NAB continued: “Reallocating the fees to reflect the spectrum incentive auction would also be consistent with the commission’s goal that the regulatory fee process should be ‘fair,’ and fairness dictates against simply reapportioning the fees allocated to the television industry to those stations remaining after the auction.

“Such an approach would lead to untenable fee increases of more than 35% for some stations, which could ‘severely impact the economic wellbeing” of these licensees.’ Moreover, doing so would essentially punish broadcasters for choosing to continue providing service to the public.”