Don't Increase Regulatory Fees During Pandemic, NAB's Smith Tells Pai
The FCC’s approach to regulatory fees results in broadcasters paying for full-time employees in agency divisions such as the Office of Engineering and Technology that don’t work on broadcast issues, and the agency shouldn’t raise fees during the COVID-19 pandemic,…
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NAB President Gordon Smith told Chairman Ajit Pai, according to an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 20-105 (see [Reg:2006300070]). “NAB cannot recall a case in recent memory where OET expended resources to work on an issue impacting the radio industry,” the filing said. The pandemic has “gutted” radio operations, NAB said. “Of all times, now is not the one for the Commission to turn its back on its duty to consider that the radio industry has not received any additional benefits from the work of the Commission during FY2020,” the filing said. “The NPRM continues to approach regulatory fees as if Congress never passed the RAY BAUM’S Act,” said the filing. That 2018 law in part addressed how the FCC calculates regulatory fees (see 2004220048).