[CW] CODE TEST ABOLISHED!

[D. Chester]

FCC MODIFIES AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE RULES,
ELIMINATING MORSE CODE EXAM REQUIREMENTS AND
ADDRESSING ARRL PETITION FOR RECONSIDERATION



Washington, D.C. - Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 
adopted a Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration (Order) that 
modifies the rules for the Amateur Radio Service by revising the examination 
requirements for obtaining a General Class or Amateur Extra Class amateur 
radio operator license and revising the operating privileges for Technician 
Class licensees.  In addition, the Order resolves a petition filed by the 
American Radio Relay League, Inc. (ARRL) for partial reconsideration of an 
FCC Order on amateur service rules released on October 10, 2006.



The current amateur service operator license structure contains three 
classes of amateur radio operator licenses:  Technician Class, General 
Class, and Amateur Extra Class.  General Class and Amateur Extra Class 
licensees are permitted to operate in Amateur bands below 30 MHz, while the 
introductory Technician Class licensees are only permitted to operate in 
bands above 30 MHz.  Prior to today's action, the FCC, in accordance with 
international radio regulations, required applicants for General Class and 
Amateur Extra Class operator licenses to pass a five words-per-minute Morse 
code examination.  Today's Order eliminates that requirement for General and 
Amateur Extra licensees.  This change reflects revisions to international 
radio regulations made at the International Telecommunication Union's 2003 
World Radio Conference (WRC-03), which authorized each country to determine 
whether to require that individuals demonstrate Morse code proficiency in 
order to qualify for an amateur radio license with transmitting privileges 
on frequencies below 30 MHz.  This change eliminates an unnecessary 
regulatory burden that may discourage current amateur radio operators from 
advancing their skills and participating more fully in the benefits of 
amateur radio.



Today's Order also revises the operating privileges for Technician Class 
licensees by eliminating a disparity in the operating privileges for the 
Technician Class and Technician Plus Class licensees.  Technician Class 
licensees are authorized operating privileges on all amateur frequencies 
above 30 MHz.  The Technician Plus Class license, which is an operator 
license class that existed prior the FCC's simplification of the amateur 
license structure in 1999 and was grandfathered after that time, authorized 
operating privileges on all amateur frequencies above 30 MHz, as well as 
frequency segments in four HF bands (below 30 MHz) after the successful 
completion of a Morse code examination.  With today's elimination of the 
Morse code exam requirements, the FCC concluded that the disparity between 
the operating privileges of Technician Class licensees and Technician Plus 
Class licensees should not be retained.  Therefore, the FCC, in today's 
action, afforded Technician and Technician Plus licensees identical 
operating privileges.



Finally, today's Order resolved a petition filed by the ARRL for partial 
reconsideration of an FCC Order released on October 10, 2006 (FCC 06-149). 
In this Order, the FCC authorized amateur stations to transmit voice 
communications on additional frequencies in certain amateur service bands, 
including the 75 meter (m) band, which is authorized only for certain 
wideband voice and image communications.  The ARRL argued that the 75 m band 
should not have been expanded below 3635 kHz, in order to protect 
automatically controlled digital stations operating in the 3620-3635 kHz 
portion of the 80 m band.  The FCC concluded that these stations can be 
protected by providing alternate spectrum in the 3585-3600 kHz frequency 
segment.



Action by the Commission on December 15, 2006, by Report and Order and Order 
on Reconsideration.  Chairman Martin and Commissioners Copps, Adelstein, 
Tate, and McDowell.



For additional information, contact William Cross at (202) 418-0691 or 
William.Cross at fcc.gov.



WT Docket Nos. 04-140 and 05-235.



http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-269012A1.pdf