Review of the radio spectrum fees framework

In 2015 we released a consultation document that proposed changes to the radio spectrum licence fee framework. 36 submissions were received, and these were taken into account when considering changes to the fees framework.

Consultation document

Review of Licence Fees Framework - Consultation Document [PDF, 579 KB]

Outcome

Under the Radiocommunications Act 1989, Radio Spectrum Management (RSM) collects annual fees for all radio and spectrum licences. Since the last fees review was undertaken, radio spectrum management costs have declined — due to a move to online systems and a strong focus on efficiency and cost control.

We were able to pass those benefits on to licence holders, with fee changes taking effect from 1 October 2017. The changes made the fees regime simpler, by reducing the number of fee categories from 47 to 4. This allows for a fair distribution of radio spectrum management fees across licence classes.

Changes included:

  • Standard fee for most licences decreases to $150 annually (incl. GST).
  • Amateur licence fee category for repeaters, beacons and fixed links, set at $50 annually (incl. GST).
  • 2 fee categories for multiple location licences, for land mobile radio services only:
    • For licences covering up to a maximum of 5 locations, the fee is $600 annually (incl. GST).
    • For licences covering an unlimited number of locations, the fee is $1,500 annually (incl. GST).
  • Online payment discount and licence interference investigation discount incorporated into base fees for all licence categories.
  • Manual payment fee of $25 introduced to cover additional administrative cost of processing manual payments (eg, cash or cheque).

General User Licences are still free to users under the new fee structure.

See Annual licence fees for the current fee categories and fees.

Submissions

Submissions closed on Monday, 7 December 2015. They can be viewed on the page Review of the Radio Spectrum Fees Framework — submissions.