What are the new Wireless Telegraphy Act Fees Regulations?
Setting licence fees for radio spectrum has been an annual process since 1998. The proposed amendments to existing regulations aim to refine current fee arrangements (which follow ‘spectrum pricing principles’ (see Q4) and enable the introduction of new licence classes. The changes apply to the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. This year’s changes are much less significant than those of previous years, and involve no changes to the majority of licence fees. This is partly because this year represents the final stage of our planned implementation of spectrum pricing. In framing this year’s proposals, we have also been careful to avoid any measure that would in any way prejudice the outcome of the wider review of spectrum pricing that is currently under way (see Q6). Proposals for this year were set out in the March 2003 consultation ‘Spectrum Pricing: Year Six’. After taking account of the responses to that consultation, we published final proposals for final comm
