For the past two years, the amount owed to the Federal Communications Commission from AM and FM radio station owners for the right to use public spectrum has gone down. That ends this year: the FCC said no to requests from dozens of state broadcasters associations and the National Association of Broadcasters to dampen a coming fee rise.
The increase in fees for Radio follows a jump in the agency’s operating budget.
The fresh Report and Order sets a total FY 2026 regulatory fee collection of $416,112,000, up 6.6% from the $390,192,000 the FCC collected in FY 2025.
Congress sets that total through the annual appropriations process, and the Commission has no discretion over the overall amount, only over how the burden is divided among fee payors.
For AM and FM operators, station fees rise between 2.19% and 3.32% depending on class and market population, with the steepest increases falling on stations in the largest markets. AM Radio Construction Permits climb to $585, and FM Radio Construction Permits climb to $1,025, up 2.63% and 2.5%, respectively, from FY 2025. The FCC’s own data shows 4,310 licensed commercial AM stations and 6,574 commercial FM stations as of March 31, 2026, a combined 10,884 stations covered by the new schedule.
FY 2025 fees had fallen between 2.1% and 3.1% across every service class, following an average 6% drop the year before.
The NAB’s pushback targeted a proposed 46% jump in earth station fees, from $2,060 to $3,010, along with a lapsed $1,000 de minimis exemption for several small radio station classes. The final order lands close to that mark: the per-authorization earth station fee rises to $2,970, a 44.2% increase, as a shrinking pool of licensees absorbs a Space Bureau revenue requirement that grew nearly 19%. The NAB and state broadcasters associations also asked the Commission to raise the de minimis threshold to $1,200 to offset rising collection costs.
The FCC responded by saying the fee increases followed directly from its established methodology rather than any flawed calculation.
Regulatory fees must be paid by the end of September under federal statute, though the FCC has not yet released the exact 2026 due date or payment procedures; that notice typically follows within days of adoption. Last year’s deadline fell on September 25.
