FY 2024 Regulatory Fee Schedule

The FCC adopted its fiscal year 2024 regulatory fee schedule to assess and collect $390,192,000 in congressionally required regulatory fees. The Report and Order reminds regulatory fee payors that if they are filing requests for waiver, reduction, deferral, and/or installment payment of regulatory fees they must provide all financial documentation to support the request at the time of filing. The Commission also directed the Office of Managing Director to provide the lowest interest rate permitted by statute and forgo the customary down payment requirement for fiscal year 2024 regulatory fee debt paid under an installment payment plan due to the significant increase from fiscal year 2023 regulatory fees. 

Section 706 Notice of Inquiry

The FCC initiated its annual assessment concerning the availability of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans, as required by section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Section 706 requires the annual assessment to determine whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion. The Commission encourages interested parties to submit input on the metrics and data sources used to evaluate the universal service goals for broadband, the methodology used to measure unserved locations, and whether a new long-term broadband speed benchmark should be adopted, among other things. Comments and reply comments are due by October 7 and November 6, 2024, respectively.

Unwanted and Illegal Calls and Texts Rules Proposal

The FCC will consider at its September meeting new rules to further protect consumers from illegal and unwanted calls and texts. The new rules would expand the requirement to block calls on a reasonable do-not-originate list to include all U.S.-based providers in the call path. Additionally, the Commission would establish a Session Initiation Protocol (“SIP”) code 603+ to notify callers when calls on IP networks are blocked, as well as a base forfeiture for providers that fail to take affirmative measures to prevent customers from using their networks to originate illegal calls. The proposal expands the Commission’s recent focus on blocking, traceback and authentication, and additional mitigation strategies such as the Robocall Mitigation Database and know-your-customer-style rules. 

CBRS NPRM Pleading Cycle

The pleading cycle for the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) proposing adjustments to the regulatory framework of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (“CBRS”) to better protect federal users and facilitate spectrum access for commercial broadband has been set [Vol. XXI, Issue 34]. The proposal would modify the Part 96 rules to reflect mechanisms currently used to protect federal users in the 3.5 GHz band. Comments and reply comments are due on October 7 and November 5, 2024, respectively. 

17 GHz Band Proposal for Satellite Services

The FCC circulated a Report and Order that would authorize non-geostationary satellite orbit (“NGSO”) space stations in the fixed-satellite service (“FSS”) to operate in the 17.3-17.8 GHz band in the space-to-earth downlink direction. Operations in the 17.3-17.7 GHz portion of the band would be limited to a co-primary basis with incumbent services and on a shared, co-primary basis with geostationary satellite orbit (“GSO”) space stations. Operations in the 17.7-17.8 GHz portion of the band would be limited to a co-primary basis with GSO FSS operations and an unprotected basis with terrestrial fixed service. The Commission seeks to align its domestic specifications with international allocations and limits devised by the International Telecommunications Union (“ITU”)’s baseline standards.

Thomas B. Magee, Tracy P. Marshall, Sean A. Stokes, and Wesley K. Wright contributed to this article