FCC Proposes to Reinstate Amateur Radio Service Fees

[W3WN]

Courtesy of the ARRL: http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-proposes-to-reinstate-amateur-radio-service-fees

Newington, CT, August 28th, 2020 – Amateur radio licensees would pay a $50 fee for each amateur radio license application if the FCC adopts rules it proposed this week. Included in the FCC’s fee proposal are applications for new licenses, renewal and upgrades to existing licenses, and vanity call sign requests. Excluded are applications for administrative updates, such as changes of address, and annual regulatory fees.

The FCC proposal is contained in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM (https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-20-116A1.pdf)) in MD Docket 20-270, which was adopted to implement portions of the “Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act” of 2018 — the so-called “Ray Baum’s Act (https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ141/PLAW-115publ141.pdf).”

The Act requires that the FCC switch from a Congressionally-mandated fee structure to a cost-based system of assessment. In its NPRM, the FCC proposed application fees for a broad range of services that use the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS), including the Amateur Radio Service that had been excluded by an earlier statute. The new statute excludes the Amateur Service from annual regulatory fees, but not from application fees.

“[A]pplications for personal licenses are mostly automated and do not have individualized staff costs for data input or review,” the FCC said in its NPRM. “For these automated processes — new/major modifications, renewal, and minor modifications — we propose a nominal application fee of $50 due to automating the processes, routine ULS maintenance, and limited instances where staff input is required.”

The same $50 fee would apply to all Amateur Service applications, including those for vanity call signs. “Although there is currently no fee for vanity call signs in the Amateur Radio Service, we find that such applications impose similar costs in aggregate on Commission resources as new applications and therefore propose a $50 fee,” the FCC said.

The FCC is not proposing to charge for administrative updates, such as mailing address changes for amateur applications, and amateur radio will remain exempt from annual regulatory fees. “For administrative updates [and] modifications, which also are highly automated, we find that it is in the public interest to encourage licensees to update their [own] information without a charge,” the FCC said.

The FCC also proposes to assess a $50 fee for individuals who want a printed copy of their license. “The Commission has proposed to eliminate these services — but to the extent the Commission does not do so, we propose a fee of $50 to cover the costs of these services,” the FCC said.

The Ray Baum’s Act does not exempt filing fees in the Amateur Radio Service. The FCC dropped assessment of fees for vanity call signs several years ago.

Deadlines for comments and reply comments will be determined once the NPRM appears in the Federal Register. File comments by using the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS (https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings)), posting to MD Docket No. 20-270. This docket is already open for accepting comments even though deadlines have not yet been set.

[n6hcm]

lol. some asshat on facebook is all "we do so much public service that we should bill the FCC for our time." no doubt this dumbass begs for "first responder" discounts at denny's ...

[KG4CGC]

lol. some asshat on facebook is all "we do so much public service that we should bill the FCC for our time." no doubt this dumbass begs for "first responder" discounts at denny's ...

Does he enter the Denny's wearing his yellow vest? Probably has an amateur radio badge with his callsign and some fake title.

[PA5COR]

We pay 35 Euro's a year, sincee 4 years after it was free for some years

[WZ7U]

Makes five usd a year look like a bargain.

Still not happy about it though

[W3WN]

I don’t find the fee per se a problem.

$50 per renewal seems a bit high. It costs the FCC that much to issue or renew a ticket? Really?

The real stinker is... an additional $50 to mail you a copy of your license? Really?

I don’t mind reasonable fees to cover services rendered. But this? This is a rip-off.

[PA5COR]

WE had a similar discussion here when we had to pay again for renewing our license every year after it had been free for several years.
So, I asked the moaners, you spend 1000's ofnEuro's on 6ransceivers antenna's and other junk a year and complain about paying for something the government needs to do?
When you tank gas at the station is it free?
Is your work free?
Yes, we pay taxes as well, but most people are no ham so this is an extra service provided.
As i have to pay each year for my firearm license to be renewed.
Or paying for my identity card/passport.
LOL

[W3WN]

WE had a similar discussion here when we had to pay again for renewing our license every year after it had been free for several years.
So, I asked the moaners, you spend 1000's ofnEuro's on 6ransceivers antenna's and other junk a year and complain about paying for something the government needs to do?
When you tank gas at the station is it free?
Is your work free?
Yes, we pay taxes as well, but most people are no ham so this is an extra service provided.
As i have to pay each year for my firearm license to be renewed.
Or paying for my identity card/passport.
LOL
Irrelevant.

i don’t have a problem with a reasonable fee.

The proposal states that these are supposed to be COST BASED fees. So how does this justify a $50 renewal fee, especially when it is a “mostly automated” system? When the VECs do most of the actual work, and just submit a list of updates to the FCC?

And even if we’re willing to accept a $50 renewal fee, considering it’s only $5 per year (and I can live with that, even if the actual cost is well under $5)...another $50 for a physical license? For a sheet of laser-printed paper, an envelope, and postage? Actual cost is what, $2?

Dob’t tell me that it’s cost based, and then tell me that the “costs” are exorbitant. Or to put it another way, don’t piss on my leg and then tell me it’s raining.

Not that this is atypical of the FCC. Remember when they withdrew 220-222 MHz, in large part because the band was “under utilized” because there were no repeaters there? And which agency didn’t permit repeaters in that part of the band?

Or when 420-430 MHz was withdrawn North of “Line A” to protect Canadian land-mobile operations... and then US land-mobile was licensed in that spectrum?

This proposal, as proposed, is a rip-off. And we are the ones being fleeced.

[n6hcm]

exactly. when the fee was last this high the FCC administered the tests, actually did enforcement, ...

this is not at all cost-based. this is finding a cash cow and milking it (because other licenses in the ULS don't get the kinds of changes that amateur radio licenses do).

[ad4mg]

exactly. when the fee was last this high the FCC administered the tests, actually did enforcement, ...

this is not at all cost-based. this is finding a cash cow and milking it (because other licenses in the ULS don't get the kinds of changes that amateur radio licenses do).

My thoughts exactly. Not enough to make me walk away from the hobby, but it is yet another reason to hate the federal government.

[VE7DCW]

The Canadian government just charges us 60 dollars when we obtain the amateur operator certificate .......we can then choose and get a callsign for life...... if we want an extra callsign just another 60 bucks for life..... no problem easy peasy one time fee and just carry on....it really does make it simple and less like a cash grab against the public.... :yes:

[K4PIH]

Does he enter the Denny's wearing his yellow vest? Probably has an amateur radio badge with his callsign and some fake title.

Probably has REACT hat and more than 3 radios and scanners n his utility belt!

If $50 is too much for some amateurs then they should quit.

Heck I can buy 3 bofengs for $50!

[W3WN]

Probably has REACT hat and more than 3 radios and scanners n his utility belt!

If $50 is too much for some amateurs then they should quit.

Heck I can buy 3 bofengs for $50!
Again, it's not the fee that's the issue.

It's the pretense that it currently costs the FCC $50 to process an Amateur Radio license. AND the pretense that it currently costs the FCC an additional $50 to print and mail a paper license.

In other words, under the guise of covering reasonable fees -- and I have no problem with reasonable fees -- the bureaucrats and politicians behind this are insulting us by thinking that we can't do simple math.

I doubt that the actual cost to the FCC to process an application or renewal comes to more than $5. Consider that most of the work is already done by the VEC's who actually submit the electronic information; or the Amateur who processes his renewal via the ULS him/herself. How long does it take the FCC computer to read a file and update a record?

And I doubt that the actual cost to the FCC to process a paper license is more than $10. Again, most of the work is done by others. All someone from the FCC has to do is pick up the sheet of paper from the laser printer, fold it, and put it in an envelope. (And even THAT can be automated these days; Pitney-Bowes for one has a machine that does all that AND affixes postage as well). Then the envelopes have to be picked up and put in the mail. And that's it.

If the FCC's costs to do all that really come to $50 & $50, then they have some real serious problems to address.

I don't object to a fee. I do object to being ripped off.

[KG4CGC]

This comment has been edited or removed by the user.

[W3WN]

I found the reason for the “nominal” fees proposed.

They’re based on the current GMRS fees. See NPRM Paragraph 25. The reasoning appears to be, if it’s good enough for one “personal” radio service, it’s good enough for all. Lazy bureaucratic thinking. Or what passes for thinking.

i never realized that GMRS licensees were being ripped off as well.

It’s definitely a money grab.

[K4PIH]

Again, it's not the fee that's the issue.

It's the pretense that it currently costs the FCC $50 to process an Amateur Radio license. AND the pretense that it currently costs the FCC an additional $50 to print and mail a paper license.

In other words, under the guise of covering reasonable fees -- and I have no problem with reasonable fees -- the bureaucrats and politicians behind this are insulting us by thinking that we can't do simple math.

I doubt that the actual cost to the FCC to process an application or renewal comes to more than $5. Consider that most of the work is already done by the VEC's who actually submit the electronic information; or the Amateur who processes his renewal via the ULS him/herself. How long does it take the FCC computer to read a file and update a record?

And I doubt that the actual cost to the FCC to process a paper license is more than $10. Again, most of the work is done by others. All someone from the FCC has to do is pick up the sheet of paper from the laser printer, fold it, and put it in an envelope. (And even THAT can be automated these days; Pitney-Bowes for one has a machine that does all that AND affixes postage as well). Then the envelopes have to be picked up and put in the mail. And that's it.

If the FCC's costs to do all that really come to $50 & $50, then they have some real serious problems to address.

I don't object to a fee. I do object to being ripped off.

Forgot to add the cost of several high level GS workers salaries, loading paper and ink in the printer, turning on the computer, yada yada. The government overhead for operations is the envy of many a TV preacher.

[N8YX]

Forgot to add the cost of several high level GS workers salaries, loading paper and ink in the printer, turning on the computer, yada yada. The government overhead for operations is the envy of many a TV preacher.

This right here is the crux of the matter. Gubmint protects gubmint, period.

[W3WN]

Well, knowing how the FCC treats it's peons, er, licensed citizens, on communications matters... I'm very much afraid that this is a lost cause; the issue has already been decided, but they have to go through the motions of appearing to solicit our comments. And then they will rule on the NPRM and officially affirm the decision already made.

But I'm going to try anyway. And I strongly suggest that everyone affected do so as well... we have nothing to lose but the contents of our wallets.

Consider the math, though. Today, there are over 826,000 licensed Amateur Radio Operators in the US. So for the sake of argument, let's presume an average of 10% of those will be eligible to renew every year (82,600), and let's say of those, an average of 50,000 actually will. (The others will forget, will have lost interest, will no longer be eligible, or will have QSY'd to another plane of existence as they achieve room temperature) . So, 50,000 renewals x $50 each is... $2.5 Million dollars. This is the proverbial drop in the bucket for the FCC and most government agencies. It may prove to be more trouble to collect than it's worth to them.

Oh, wait, sorry. I was being reasonable again. To a government bureaucrat, that last point is irrelevant -- they have to make sure you know they have your "best interests" (quit snickering) at heart, so yeah, they will try to collect, even when it costs them 3x as much.

[kb2vxa]

"the issue has already been decided, but they have to go through the motions"
Ah, we're back in the city magistrate's court again, a familiar scenario. "He must be guilty or he wouldn't be in my court, now let me see what I'll slap him with." Judge Dredd

I chose one of Sylvester Stallone's characters because too many years got between the city judge in my home town and not. He was a Loony Toon, certainly now a Merry Melody, I saw him jumping up and down, pointing with one hand, banging his gavel like a machine gun, and shouting "YOU'RE GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!!!" There were so many complaints the Council had to get rid of this loony tick, they unanimously passed a residency ordinance. He lived 30 miles to the south, go home alpha hotel.

When Uncle Charlie abandoned engineering and became a spectrum auction house it was the beginning of the end. As Mark Bolan of T Rex wrote;
See the girl in dance
In her man-skin pants
Such a rip-off
Terraplane Tommy
Wants to bang your gong
It's a rip-off
Such a rip-off

Oh, if you name the loony tune, the merry melody WB used as the intro to their cartoons you win a Kewpie doll!

[W3WN]

You mean the tune "Rip-Off" by T.Rex?
https://genius.com/T-rex-rip-off-lyrics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1pG-23Jvuw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1pG-23Jvuw

Or did you mean "The Merry-Go Round Broke Down" by Cliff Friend & Dave Franklin, written in 1937?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merry-Go-Round_Broke_Down#:~:text=Dave%20Franklin.%20%22The %20Merry-Go-Round%20Broke%20Down%22%20is%20a,Warner%20Bros.%20 Cartoons%2C%20used%20from%201937%20to%201969.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBgAHK36sx4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwiQVKOrejo

[kb2vxa]

Yes I did mean, did mean, and did mean. Give the man THREE Kewpie dolls!

17163

If you toon around you'll find The Three Stooges singing The Merry Go Round Broke Down... rather badly.

[W3WN]

Yes I did mean, did mean, and did mean. Give the man THREE Kewpie dolls!

17163

If you toon around you'll find The Three Stooges singing The Merry Go Round Broke Down... rather badly.
I’d settle for enough shekels to but that Argonaut 505...

[n6hcm]

I need to make some time tomorrow to file a comment on this. This is pretty unreasonable all around.