[LeArc] FCC MODIFIES AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE RULES

[Duane Whittingham]

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.


– FCC –


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Amateur Radio Operator
Duane Whittingham - N9SSN
Skywarn, ARES/RACES, EMA/ESDA
Red Cross Volunteer & SATERN Member