On July 10, the FCC released an Order on adjustments to the application fees that the Commission collects from applicants. The Commission is required to adjust these fees every two years to keep pace with the changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This year’s application fees will go up by 3.7 percent in response to increases in the CPI from October 2015 to October 2017. The Order also reiterates the Commission’s goal of moving to electronic payments as opposed to payments by mail, and notes that it will continue to require electronic payment for additional categories of applications.
The new fees won’t kick in until 30 days after the FCC’s order shows up in the Federal Register. In other words, you’ve got some time to prepare and file applications and still take advantage of the current fee schedule. Check back here for updates about the effective date of the new fees.