47 U.S.C. § 158 — Application fees

(a) General authority: The Commission must charge and collect application fees. It sets these fees in a fee schedule. The purpose is to cover its costs of processing applications. (b) Adjustment of schedule: (1) In general: Every even-numbered year, the Commission reviews the fee schedule and sets a new amount for each fee. The new amount equals the old fee amount, adjusted for the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index since the fee was set or last amended, whichever is later, then rounded to the nearest $5. (2) Threshold for adjustment: The Commission cannot make an adjustment if it's too small to matter: for fees under $200, no change if the adjustment would be less than $10; for fees of $200 or more, no change if the adjustment would be less than 5 percent. (3) Current amount defined: "Current amount" means the fee amount on the date it was set, last adjusted under this process, or last amended by rule — whichever came latest. (c) Amendments to schedule: Besides these regular adjustments, the Commission can amend the fee schedule by rule at other times, if it decides fees no longer match real processing costs, or if it needs to add or combine categories of applications. (d) Exceptions: (1) Parties to which fees are not applicable: These fees do not apply to: (A) government entities; (B) nonprofits licensed in specific safety and emergency radio services (Local Government, Police, Fire, Highway Maintenance, Forestry-Conservation, Public Safety, or Special Emergency Radio); or (C) noncommercial radio or television stations. (2) Cost of collection: If collecting a fee would cost the Commission more than the fee brings in, the Commission may eliminate that fee by rule. (e) Deposit of collections: Money collected from these fees goes into the general fund of the U.S. Treasury.