[OKDXA] FCC Release

[John Geiger]

There goes the neighborhood.

73s John W5TD

--- Coy Day <n5ok at arrl.org> wrote:

> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                              
>     NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
> December 15,
> 2006
> Chelsea Fallon:  (202) 418-7991
> 
> 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.
> 
> -- 
> Coy Day, N5OK
> 20685 SW 29
> Union City, OK 73090
> 405-483-5632
> 
> 
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> 


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