At the same time that it’s asking for public input on how the agency calculates regulatory fees, the FCC has finalized the actual monetary amounts for 2012. Broadcast regulatory fees are due Oct 1.

The fee methodology for AM and FM radio stations is based on a number of factors, such as power level, channel and frequency along with the population served by each station.

The population figure is determined by applying U.S. Census Bureau data to the station’s technical and engineering data. In FY 2012, the commission will incorporate the results of the 2010 Census data into its broadcast population data, which could trigger a change in population count for some radio stations.

The lowest station regulatory fee is $725 for a Class A AM station serving a market of 25,000 or less people and the highest fee is $11,500 for the FM Class B, C, C0, C1 and C2 stations serving markets of 3 million or more people. See page 19 of Attachment C.

Regulatory fees are $550 for AM construction permits and $700 for FM CPs.

Fees are due by Oct. 1 or stations could face a 25% late penalty.