[QCWA] FCC Eliminates Vanity Callsign Fee

[TwelveVDC--- via QCWA]

FCC Eliminates Amateur Radio Vanity Callsign Regulatory Fee

05/22/2015

The FCC is eliminating the regulatory fee to apply for an Amateur Radio vanity call sign. The change will not go into effect, however, until required congressional notice has been given. This will take at least 90 days. As the Commission explained in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Report and Order, and Order (MD Docket 14-92and others), released May 21, it’s a matter of simple economics.

“The Commission spends more resources on processing the regulatory fees and issuing refunds than the amount of the regulatory fee payment, ” the FCC said. “As our costs now exceed the regulatory fee, we are eliminating this regulatory fee category. ” The current vanity call sign regulatory fee is $21.40, the highest in several years. The FCC reported there were 11,500 “payment units” in FY 2014 and estimated that it would collect nearly $246,100.
Read the full story here:

http://www.arrl.org/news/view/fcc-eliminates-amateur-radio-vanity-call-sign-regulatory-fee


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