Broadcasters oppose higher fees and funding broadband data collection

Broadcasters are pressing the Federal Communications Commission to change course and not force TV and radio stations to pay for a portion of FCC broadband data collection, from which they do not claim to benefit. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), in meetings with the FCC's Office of Managing Director, said that the FCC should only make regulated industries pay user fees on activities that have minimal relevance to that industry. The FCC supports itself through annual user fees levied on broadcasters and cable operators, as well as satellite operators and their use of licensed spectrum. The fee is calculated according to how many full-time employees there are to regulate those services. NAB has argued that the FCC boosted their fees to "unsustainable levels," in part thanks to its decision to require broadcasters to pay for some of the added funding Congress said the FCC needs to create better broadband maps; according to NAB, the maps have nothing to do with their service.