FCC Urges Court to Reject Regulatory Fee Challenge

摘要

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit should dismiss a legal challenge filed by several foreign satellite operators to an FCC order that is designed to ensure that domestic and foreign operators abide by the same regulatory fee framework, the Commission said in a brief filed recently. The report and order, which was adopted in May 2020 in MD dockets 20-105 and 19-105, replaced a regime where foreign-licensed operators that had access to the U.S. market were not required to pay regulatory fees (TR, May 15,2020). The order was challenged in the D.C. Circuit by Telesat Canada, Eutelsat S.A., Kineis, Hiber, Inc., and Inmarsat Group Holdings Ltd. In its brief in Telesat Canada, et al., v. FCC (case 20-1234), the FCC said it was reasonable in deciding that it possessed the authority to impose regulatory fees on non-U.S. licensed space stations that are granted U.S. market access.