FCC Sets Sept. 24 Fee Deadline; SEC, SBA, and E-Rate Rules Also Take Effect

FCC Adopts FY 2026 Regulatory Fee Schedule

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted its regulatory fee schedule for Fiscal Year 2026, effective September 14, 2026, with fees due no later than September 24, 2026 to avoid penalties and interest. The rule, published as a final rule in 47 CFR Part 1, requires the Commission to assess and collect $416,112,000 — an amount the Commission states is what can reasonably be expected to total its FY 2026 salaries and expenses appropriation, pursuant to section 9 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026.

The Commission explains that each fiscal year it must adopt a schedule of regulatory fees to be collected by the end of September. The FY 2026 schedule was proposed in April and an NPRM was published at 91 FR 25268 on May 8, 2026. The Commission's Report and Order (MD Docket No. 26-94, FCC 26-59) was adopted on August 26, 2026 and released on August 27, 2026. The Commission states it adopts most of the NPRM's proposals, including reallocating 61 FTEs from the Office of General Counsel, the Office of Economics and Analytics, and the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau as direct FTEs to the Commission's core licensing bureaus, on the stated basis that the work of those FTEs is sufficiently linked to the oversight and regulation of regulatory fee payors. The Commission declined, however, to subtract two FTEs from the Media Bureau's direct allocation, and instead concluded it is appropriate to reallocate one additional FTE from the Office of General Counsel as direct to the Media Bureau. The Commission states it will continue to treat all FTEs in the Office of Engineering and Technology, Enforcement Bureau, and Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau as indirect. The Commission also declined to adopt proposals from commenters to depart from its established assessment methodology to reduce fees for entities in certain industry sectors, stating that doing so would unfairly shift the burden of regulatory fees to other fee payors.

E-Rate Competitive Bidding Rules Now Effective

Also from the FCC, amendments to the Universal Service Schools and Libraries program — the E-Rate program — took effect September 14, 2026, following OMB approval of the associated information collection. The rules, published at 91 FR 29051 on May 19, 2026, stem from the Commission's Report and Order in WC Docket No. 21-455, CC Docket No. 02-6 (FCC 26-30). OMB approved the collection under Control Number 3060-0806 on July 7, 2026, with an expiration date of November 30, 2027.

The Commission states that on April 30, 2026, it took action to reinforce the success and integrity of the E-Rate program by establishing a competitive bidding portal and document repository to strengthen competitive bidding rules, and adopted changes to streamline and simplify program processes and procedures. The document explains that the information collected provides the Commission and the Universal Service Administrative Company with the information necessary to administer the E-Rate program, determine eligible support amounts, assess compliance, and protect program integrity. The collection covers FCC Forms 470 and 471, with an estimated 25,000 unique respondents submitting 83,560 responses, carrying a total annual burden of 236,890 hours and no cost to respondents. Respondents include not-for-profit institutions and state, local, or tribal governments.

SBA Opens Disaster Loans for Texas Storm Victims

The Small Business Administration issued an administrative disaster declaration for Texas on September 10, 2026, following severe storms and tornadoes. The primary county designated as adversely affected is Bexar; contiguous counties included in the declaration are Atascosa, Bandera, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina, and Wilson, all in Texas.

Applications for disaster loans may be submitted online through the MySBA Loan Portal or in person at locally announced locations. The disaster number assigned for physical damage is 21859B and for economic injury is 218600. The SBA published the following interest rates: for physical damage, homeowners with credit available elsewhere at 6.000 percent; homeowners without credit available elsewhere at 3.000 percent; businesses with credit available elsewhere at 8.000 percent; businesses without credit available elsewhere at 4.000 percent; private non-profit organizations, both with and without credit available elsewhere, at 3.625 percent. For economic injury, businesses and small agricultural cooperatives without credit available elsewhere are offered a rate of 4.000 percent, and private non-profit organizations without credit available elsewhere at 3.625 percent. The declaration was issued under authority of 13 CFR 123.3(b) and is catalogued under Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 59008.

SEC Schedules Closed Enforcement Session and Public 24-Hour Trading Roundtable

The Securities and Exchange Commission will convene two separate meetings on Thursday, September 17, 2026. The first, a closed meeting at 2:00 p.m., will be held via remote means and at the Commission's headquarters at 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549. The General Counsel has certified that one or more exemptions under 5 U.S.C. 552b permit the closed session. Matters to be considered include institution and settlement of injunctive actions, institution and settlement of administrative proceedings, resolution of litigation claims, and other matters relating to examinations and enforcement proceedings.

The second is a public roundtable running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (ET) at the Auditorium at the SEC's headquarters, with doors opening at 9 a.m. The roundtable will focus on preparations for 24-hour trading, including preparedness for a 24-hour market, resiliency in a 24-hour market, and expected impacts and consideration of next steps. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, and visitors will be subject to security checks. The meeting will also be webcast on the Commission's website, with a recording to be posted at a later date.

What to Watch

• September 17, 2026 — SEC closed enforcement meeting (2:00 p.m.) and public 24-hour trading roundtable (10 a.m.–4 p.m.), both at SEC headquarters.
• September 24, 2026 — FCC FY 2026 regulatory fees due; fees not paid by this date are subject to penalties and interest.
• November 30, 2027 — OMB approval for E-Rate information collection (Control Number 3060-0806) expires.

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