Overview and Authority
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) has issued its 2011 Fee Filing Guide, detailing application fees and procedural requirements effective June 21, 2011. The guide serves as a reference for entities submitting feeable filings for Equipment Approval Services and Experimental Radio Services.
The Commission's authority to assess and collect fees originates under Title III, Section 3001 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 (Public Law 101-39), revising Section 8 of the Communications Act (47 U.S.C. ยง 158). Formal fee regulations and rules are codified in Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 1, Subpart G.
Mandatory Registration and General Remittance Procedures
Use of an FCC Registration Number (FRN) is mandatory for all feeable filings. Filings submitted without an FRN on FCC Form 159 (Remittance Advice) will be returned as unprocessable. Entities must obtain an FRN electronically via the Commission Registration System (CORES) or by submitting FCC Form 160.
Under the Debt Collection Improvement Act (DCIA) rules in effect since October 1, 2004, the Commission withholds action on and will dismiss applications or requests for benefits from entities with unresolved, delinquent non-tax debt owed to the FCC.
Remittances may be made via credit card, check, bank draft, money order, or wire transfer, denominated in U.S. dollars and drawn on U.S. financial institutions payable to 'FCC'. Postdated checks, third-party checks, altered checks, and checks older than six months are not accepted. The Customer-Initiated Payment Plan (CIP) for electronic payments is no longer supported by the lockbox bank.
- Form 159 Remittance Advice must accompany physical check, money order, and mail-in credit card payments.
- When paying by online credit card, FCC Form 159 must not be mailed to the bank.
- Wire transfers require FCC Form 159 to be faxed to U.S. Bank at least one hour prior to wire transmission.
- Routine refund requests are evaluated by the relevant bureau and processed by the Office of the Managing Director's Revenue and Receivables Operations Group (RROG), typically taking 7 to 10 business days before U.S. Treasury disbursement.
Equipment Approval Services Fee Schedule
Applicant and Grantee Code assignments must be obtained electronically through the OET database, and Equipment Authorization applications on FCC Form 731 must be submitted electronically. If Grantee Code payment is not verified within 30 calendar days of assignment, the code is automatically purged from the database.
For Form 731 filings, required exhibits must be uploaded within five calendar days of submission, and the filing fee must be processed within 15 calendar days to avoid application dismissal.
- Assignment of Grantee Code: $60.00 (Payment Type Code EAG)
- Certification for Receivers (other than TV and FM): $490.00 (Payment Type Code EEC)
- Certification for Parts 11, 15, and 18 Devices (other than receivers): $1,265.00 (Payment Type Code EGC)
- Certification for All Other Devices: $635.00 (Payment Type Code EFT)
- Class II Permissive Changes: $60.00 (Payment Type Code EAC)
- Class III Permissive Changes: $635.00 (Payment Type Code ECC)
- Request for Confidentiality under Certification: $180.00 (Payment Type Code EBC)
- Advance Approval of Subscription TV Systems: $3,870.00 (Payment Type Code EIS)
- Request for Confidentiality for Subscription TV Systems: $180.00 (Payment Type Code EBS)
Experimental Radio Services and Classified Filings
Applications for Experimental Radio Services must be submitted electronically through the OET Experimental Licensing System, with the exception of applications classified for National Security purposes (Confidential or Secret).
For classified applications, all unclassified data must be submitted electronically with an attachment noting the classified submission, while the classified portion must be delivered directly to the FCC Security Operations Staff in Room 1B458 at 445 12th St SW, Washington, DC 20554.
- New Station Authorization (FCC Form 442): $60.00 (Payment Type Code EAE)
- Modification of Authorization (FCC Form 442): $60.00 (Payment Type Code EAE)
- Renewal of Station Authorization (FCC Form 405): $60.00 (Payment Type Code EAE)
- Assignment or Transfer of Control (FCC Form 702 or 703): $60.00 (Payment Type Code EAE)
- Special Temporary Authority (STA): $60.00 (Payment Type Code EAE)
- Withholding from Public Inspection Request: Additional $60.00 (Payment Type Code EAE)