[K6BW] FCC "it's official" !!

[Steve Johnson]

It's Official! Morse Code Requirement Ends Friday,
February 23
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 24, 2007 -- Circle Friday, February
23, on your calendar. That's when the current 5 WPM
Morse code requirement will officially disappear from
the Amateur Radio Service Part 97 rules. After
midnight on that date, applicants for a General or
Amateur Extra class Amateur Radio license no longer
will have to demonstrate proficiency in Morse code.
They'll just have to pass the applicable written
examination. The appearance in today's Federal
Register of the FCC's Report and Order (R&O) in the
"Morse code proceeding," WT Docket 05-235, starts a
30-day countdown for the new rules to become
effective. Deletion of the Morse requirement -- still
a matter of controversy within the amateur community
-- is a landmark in Amateur Radio history. 

"The overall effect of this action is to further the
public interest by encouraging individuals who are
interested in communications technology or who are
able to contribute to the advancement of the radio
art, to become Amateur Radio operators; and
eliminating a requirement that is now unnecessary and
may discourage Amateur Service licensees from
advancing their skills in the communications and
technical phases of Amateur Radio," the FCC remarked
in the "Morse code" R&O that settled the matter, at
least from a regulatory standpoint. The League had
asked the FCC to retain the 5 WPM for Amateur Extra
class applicants, but the Commission held to its
decision to eliminate the requirement across the
board. The R&O appearing in the Federal Register
constitutes the official version of the new rules. 

Until 1991, when a Morse code examination was dropped
from the requirements to obtain a Technician ticket,
all prospective radio amateurs had to pass a Morse
code test. With the change the US will join a growing
list of countries that have dropped the need to
demonstrate some level of Morse code proficiency to
earn access to frequencies below 30 MHz. 

The new rules also put all Technician licensees on an
equal footing, whether or not they've passed a Morse
code examination. Starting at midnight on February 23,
Technicians will gain CW privileges on 80, 40, 15
meters and CW, RTTY, data and SSB privileges on 10
meters. When the new rules go into effect Technicians
may begin using their new privileges without any
further action. 

On or after February 23, an applicant holding a valid
Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination
(CSCE) for Element 3 (General) or Element 4 (Amateur
Extra) credit may redeem it for an upgrade at a
Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) exam session. A
CSCE is good for 365 days from the date of issuance,
no exceptions. For example, a Technician licensee
holding a valid CSCE for Element 3 credit would have
to apply at a VEC test session and pay the application
fee, which most VECs charge, in order to receive an
instant upgrade to General. 

ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson,
N1ND, cautions that a license upgrade is not automatic
for those holding valid CSCEs for element credit. "You
must apply for the upgrade at a VEC test session, and
you may not operate as /AG or /AE until you have
upgraded and have been issued a CSCE marked for
upgrade," he stresses. "A valid CSCE for element
credit only does not confer any operating privileges."
Henderson also advises all radio amateurs to know and
fully understand their operating privileges before
taking to the airwaves. Some Technician licensees
reportedly started showing up on 75 meters December 15
in the mistaken belief that they had gained phone
privileges there. 

The FCC R&O includes an Order on Reconsideration in WT
Docket 04-140 -- the so-called "omnibus" proceeding.
It will modify Part 97 in response to ARRL's request
to accommodate automatically controlled narrowband
digital stations on 80 meters in the wake of other
rule changes that became effective last December 15.
The Commission designated 3585 to 3600 kHz for such
operations, although that segment will remain
available for CW, RTTY and data. The ARRL had
requested that the upper limit of the CW/RTTY/data
subband be set at 3635 kHz so there would be no change
in the existing 3620 to 3635 kHz subband. 

The ARRL has posted all relevant information on these
important Part 97 rule revisions on its "FCC's Morse
Code Report and Order WT Docket 05-235" Web page. 






 
   73 KI6ADA
  Steve Johnson