Ouch! But still holding..., page-10

Meaningful asset sales aside, perhaps the next big catalyst for NEC and the rest of the free-to-air industry is a further cut in spectrum license fees. To echo the sentiments of others on this thread, who better than former treasurer and NEC chairman Peter Costello to lobby the government on the issue! Costello will understand the fiscal and industry dynamics better than any, and can surely use that knowledge and his extensive connections within the government to navigate favorable outcomes for NEC.

Market-moving news on spectrum fee cuts, positive or otherwise, might not be too far away. The communications minister Mitch Fifield on 3 May 2016 published this statement:

The Government will consider further reductions in broadcasting licence fees later in 2016 as part of a broader package of reforms that will include consideration of the pricing of broadcasting spectrum.

It’s now “later in 2016,” so an announcement of sorts is surely not too far off.