NAB Renews Call for Lower Broadcast Reg Fees

The wireless industry isn’t contributing its fair share of regulatory costs and broadcasters are being charged too much, said NAB in a call with the FCC Office of General Counsel and the Office of Managing Director Tuesday, according to an ex parte filing posted in docket 21-190 Friday. NAB said it “has no idea” how it's “remotely possible” for the Wireless Bureau to spend as much time and work as it does on auctions, “especially in light" of the auctions division no longer being housed in the bureau and the wireless industry "not contributing its fair share" to funding offices such as the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. NAB also renewed calls for the FCC to expand the base of payors to include “broadband internet-service providers, Big Tech companies, and other unlicensed spectrum users” that generate work for the FCC. “Continuing to require broadcasters to pay for broadband activities that do not benefit them is plainly unlawful,” NAB said.