Members of Congress Condemn Rising Fees on Broadcasters

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, August 15, 2022

U.S. Congress

Congressman Tom Emmer (MN-06) led a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel regarding the significant regulatory fee increase on broadcasters for Fiscal Year 2022. In the letter, he and 92 members of Congress express serious concerns with the Commission's proposal for regulatory fees for Fiscal Year 2022, which would impose substantial rate increases on local radio and television stations. Emmer is the co-founder and Chair of the Congressional Broadcasters Caucus.

Emmer said, "Our broadcasters provide an essential and free service to the public. This unjustified fee increase is appalling and out-of-step with regulatory costs for any other industry under the FCC's jurisdiction."

"These fee hikes will sadly erode already-strained station budgets, and the American people will be forced to pay the price with decreased access to trusted local news and information services. The FCC must not force our broadcasters to shoulder burdensome costs to subsidize some of the largest and most powerful companies in the world," he concluded.

National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said, "The FCC's regulatory fee proposal would impose a dramatic and unjustified fee increase on local broadcasters. These additional and excessive costs would hamper radio and television stations' unique service to communities across the country. NAB thanks Rep. Emmer and his colleagues for their bipartisan leadership in working to right-size the FCC's fees so that broadcasters are not paying more than our share at the expense of the unparalleled free and local service we provide."

Emmer's letter asked for the FCC's reasoning behind their specific fee increases on radio and television broadcasters.