It’s official! The FCC has formally announced that the deadline for reg fees this year will be 11:59 p.m. (ET) on (drum roll . . . fanfare) September 22, 2009. But why wait until then? The teller windows are now open at Fee Filer, so why not avoid the late September rush and check this chore off your to-do list right now.
The newly-officialized deadline is indeed the same as was reflected in the reminder letters received by many a week or two ago. While we had informally heard from a Commission staffer that that date might get moved a tad, that plan apparently got nixed – possibly because of the potential for confusion that it reeked of.
When you do pay your reg fees – and, given the penalities for non-payment, there really is no option here – don’t forget to include payments for all your auxiliary licenses. The reminder letter sent out by the Commission lists only your main channel(s), and leaves it to you to track down those pesky auxiliaries (the fee for which is $10 each). While the 25% late charge on a $10 fee may not look bad, the other, non-cash, penalities – including possible red-lighting – should be scary enough to get you into ULS tout de suite to doublecheck your list of auxiliaries against what the FCC thinks you have.
We here at Fletcher Heald will be happy to assist in getting reg fees paid. Let us know if we can help.
