[LeArc] ARLB007 FCC invites comments on Amateur Radio restructuring plans

[Tony]

  Cc: <Subscribed ARRL Members:>
  Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 3:58 PM
  Subject: ARLB007 FCC invites comments on Amateur Radio restructuring plans


  > SB QST @ ARL $ARLB007
  > ARLB007 FCC invites comments on Amateur Radio restructuring plans
  >
  > ZCZC AG07
  > QST de W1AW
  > ARRL Bulletin 7  ARLB007
  > >From ARRL Headquarters
  > Newington CT  March 24, 2004
  > To all radio amateurs
  >
  > SB QST ARL ARLB007
  > ARLB007 FCC invites comments on Amateur Radio restructuring plans
  >
  > The FCC is seeking comment on three plans, one from the ARRL, that
  > would reshape the Amateur Service licensing structure. Each Petition
  > for Rule Making responds to World Radiocommunication Conference 2003
  > actions last summer that made changes to Article 25 of the
  > international Radio Regulations. While differing substantially in
  > some other aspects, the three petitions call for modifications at
  > Amateur Radio's entry level and for a three-tiered license system.
  > One petition goes beyond licensing structure to recommend additional
  > changes to amateur testing and HF digital privileges. A fourth
  > petition focuses solely on the Morse requirement. Comments are due
  > by April 24 on all four petitions.
  >
  > Designated RM-10867, ARRL's petition asks the FCC to create a new
  > entry-level license class--being called ''Novice'' for now. It would
  > offer limited HF CW/data and phone/image privileges on 80, 40, 15
  > and 10 meters plus certain VHF and UHF privileges. The League plan
  > also would consolidate Technician, Tech Plus (Technician with
  > Element 1 credit) and General licensees into a new General license
  > that no longer would require a Morse examination. Current
  > Technicians automatically would gain General privileges without
  > additional testing. Applicants for Amateur Extra would still have to
  > pass a 5 WPM Morse code examination, but the General and Extra
  > written exams would stay the same.
  >
  > A news report ''ARRL to Propose New Entry-Level License, Code-Free HF
  > Access,'' www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/19/1/, has further
  > details. Frequently asked questions (FAQs) are addressed on the ARRL
  > Web site, www.arrl.org/news/restructuring2/faq.html.
  >
  > An ''unincorporated grassroots organization,'' the Radio Amateur
  > Foundation (RAF), has filed a petition designated as RM-10868. Its
  > wide-ranging filing asks the FCC to modify the Technician ticket to
  > allow restricted HF phone, data, image and CW privileges. The group
  > also proposes retaining the 5 WPM Morse requirement for General and
  > Amateur Extra applicants, upgrading Advanced class holders to Extra
  > and all Novices to Technician. The Radio Amateur Foundation said it
  > sees no need to change licensing requirements for General or Amateur
  > Extra applicants.
  >
  > The RAF also wants to scrap existing Amateur Radio question pools
  > and start over from scratch, keeping the question pools out of the
  > public domain and requiring a 10-day waiting period before
  > retesting. In addition, it would permit only Generals and Amateur
  > Extras or Technicians licensed more than two years to request vanity
  > call signs.
  >
  > The RAF has further asked the FCC to permit digital experimentation
  > from 29.0 to 29.3 MHz at bandwidths of up to 15 kHz.
  >
  > In his two-page petition designated RM-10869, Ronald D. Lowrance,
  > K4SX, calls on the FCC to retain the 5 WPM Morse code requirement
  > for General class applicants and to raise the Morse requirement to
  > 13 WPM for Amateur Extra class applicants. He called Morse code ''the
  > most reliable mode of communication'' in an emergency. Lowrance would
  > make no change in Technician licensing requirements.
  >
  > The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC)
  > wants the FCC to establish a new entry-level license called the
  > Communicator class. Its petition, designated RM-10870, reiterates
  > its call--first made last fall in RM-10787--to altogether eliminate
  > the Morse code testing requirement.
  >
  > The NCVEC's petition would upgrade all current Novices to
  > Communicator class. The NCVEC would further upgrade all existing
  > Technician and Tech Plus (Technician with Element 1 credit)
  > licensees to General and all Advanced class licensees to Amateur
  > Extra without further testing. Once the Morse requirement goes away,
  > NCVEC said in its filing, ''there will be no effective difference
  > between the Technician and General class licenses.''
  >
  > The new Communicator ticket would permit a power limit of 100 W on
  > bands below 24 MHz and 50 W on all frequencies above 24 MHz.
  > Communicator licensees would have to use commercially manufactured
  > equipment (or gear built from a commercial kit). They could operate
  > both voice and digital modes on 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters plus VHF
  > and UHF up to 70 cm.
  >
  > All three license restructuring plans call for changes to the
  > present HF subbands.
  >
  > Interested parties may view and comment on these petitions via the
  > FCC Electronic Comment Filing System, www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html.
  > When entering the RM number in the ECFS ''Proceeding'' field, RM must
  > be in capital letters and the hyphen must be included.
  > NNNN
  > /EX