FCC Should Reallocate TV Regulatory Fees to Wireless, NAB Says

Without FCC action, TV stations after the incentive auction will face an “untenable” increase in regulatory fees after “hundreds” of them surrender spectrum, said NAB in an ex parte filing posted in docket 15-121 Wednesday. The FCC “has routinely reallocated fees to reflect marketplace changes,” NAB said. “Doing so for television stations following the auction would be consistent with the Commission’s principal aim that the regulatory fee process should be fair.” The FCC should reallocate a share of TV regulatory fees to wireless to “reflect the spectrum to be repurposed,” NAB said. “The auction will allow wireless providers to improve service and enlist more customers, thereby demanding more Commission oversight and justifying an attendant increase in regulatory fees.”