[QCWA] FCC Drops Morse

[newsline at ix.netcom.com]

With all due respect, I submit that today is not the "day the music died.".  Rather, it is the day when ham radio tossed aside its scratchy old 78 RPM records and embraced the better sound of the CD. 
de
Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF

-----Original Message-----
>From: Artmouton <k5fnq at cox.net>
>Sent: Dec 15, 2006 9:14 PM
>To: Discussion of QCWA <qcwa at mailman.qth.net>
>Subject: Re: [QCWA] FCC Drops Morse
>
>The day the music died
>(with apologies to Don McLean)
>Art K5FNQ
>
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Pete Kemp" <radioguy at tampabay.rr.com>
>To: <qcwa at mailman.qth.net>
>Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 7:10 PM
>Subject: [QCWA] FCC Drops Morse
>
>
>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.
>
>- FCC -
>
>
>
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