1. In the Notice in this proceeding, we examined the Amateur Radio Service Rules in an effort to streamline our licensing processes and eliminate unnecessary and duplicative rules.
2. By this Report and Order, we adopt rules that simplify the Amateur Radio Service operator
license structure, streamline the number of examination elements and, reduce the emphasis on telegraphy that underlies the current license structure to the greatest extent possible, consistent with the international Radio Regulations (Radio Regulations).
Moreover, we believe that these changes will:
(a) allow current Amateur Radio Service licensees to contribute more to the advancement of the radio art;
(b) reduce the administrative costs that we incur in regulating this service and streamline our licensing processes;
(c) eliminate unnecessary requirements that may discourage or limit individuals from becoming trained operators, technicians, and electronic experts; and
(d) promote efficient use of spectrum allocated to the Amateur Radio Service.
Reduction of the number of operator license classes from six to three.
Reduction of the number of telegraphy examination elements from three to one.
Reduction of the number of written examination elements from five to three.
Technician - the VHF/UHF entry level;
The Technician Class continues as a "no code"
ticket. No new Novice, Tech Plus or Advanced
Class licenses will be issued after April
15th.
And after April 15th, there will be only one
Morse code examination speed at 5
words-per-minute (wpm). It will be called simply
Element 1. Previously Element 1(A) was the 5-wpm
telegraphy exam, 1(B) was 13 wpm and 1(C) 20-wpm.
The single 5-wpm code speed also means the demise
of the controversial physician certification
waivers by examinees who claimed they are unable
to pass a high speed telegraphy exam due to a
handicap.
All six classes will remain and will be active
in the FCC's Amateur Service database. Current
Novice and Advanced Class amateurs will be able
to modify their license (change their name,
address and call signs) and renew their ticket
indefinitely. No one is being forced to upgrade
their license ...and no one loses any privileges
if they don't. The Commission also followed
through on their proposal to renew Tech-Plus
amateur licenses as Technician class, with
indefinite credit for Morse code proficiency.
The FCC elected not to change the operating
privileges of any class – a key component of the
American Radio Relay League's restructuring
proposal. The ARRL had proposed a one-time
across-the-board upgrading of all Novice and Tech
Plus operators to the General class which FCC
declined to go along with.
The previously FCC-mandated ten written exam
topics have been eliminated and the VECs'
Question Pool Committee (QPC) will now have a
free rein to decide on the content of each the
three written examinations.
There will be no automatic upgrades.
Existing Amateur Radio study materials in the
marketplace remain valid at least until the new
rules become effective in April and CSCE credit
from these test exams may be used towards the
three new licenses.
Likewise, current Tech-Plus radioamateurs may
pass Element 3B before April 15, then use the
CSCE to apply for General at a post-4/15 exam
session.
Effective April 15th, Advanced Class
radioamateurs are authorized to prepare and
administer General class examinations.
Station licenses in the Radio Amateur Civil
Emergency Service (RACES) were also eliminated as
being unnecessary for amateurs to provide
emergency service, but the RACES service itself
will remain.
Millions of amateur radio operators throughout the world communicate with each other directly by
exchanging voice, teleprinting, telegraphy, digital packet, facsimile, and television messages.
1. Number of License Classes
We believe that a three-class license structure provides a sufficient number of license classes so that the fundamental purposes underlying the amateur service rules will not be compromised.
In order to assure that Technician Plus Class licensees do not lose privileges, we have revised
Section 97.301(e) of our Rules to reflect that any Technician Class licensee who satisfies the telegraphy requirement in the Radio Regulations will maintain the privileges which the Technician Plus Class operator license presently authorizes.
A three-class structure consisting of the
Technician, General, and Amateur Extra Class operator licenses is supported, among others, by the NCVECs and the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA).
Given our decision to reduce the telegraphy examination requirement to the minimum requirement that meets the Radio Regulations, we
believe that the three-class operator license structure is preferable because this structure has substantial support within the amateur service community and satisfies our goal of streamlining and simplifying the amateur service licensing system to the greatest extent possible.
2. Telegraphy Examination Requirements
We also are streamlining Section 97.503(b) of our Rules to reduce the number of telegraphy examination elements from three to one -- specifically, a 5 wpm telegraphy examination.
3. Written Examinations
We believe that the changes suggested by the NCVECs and Ray Adams, among others, will result in an examination system that is more relevant, that is simpler for examinees and licensees to understand, and that takes advantage of the ability that the VECs consistently have shown since 1986 to maintain the question pools.
We, therefore, will amend Section 97.503(b) of our Rules to require that the Technician Class and General Class written examination elements consist of thirty five questions each, and that the Amateur Extra Class written examination element consist of fifty technically oriented questions, including questions about administering amateur radio operator license examinations.
Additionally, we believe that
these changes will eliminate rules that are unnecessary and will provide VEs and VECs additional flexibility as the majority of commenters have requested.
Moreover, these changes will streamline further our administration of the amateur service. We also agree that the Question Pool Committee of the NCVECs has a better ability to insure that the question pools reflect current technology than we do by specifying general topics in our Rules.
We agree that the Question Pool Committee of the NCVECs is capable of both specifying topics and organizing questions by topic, if this function is necessary, as part of its maintenance of the question pools for amateur radio operator examinations.
We note that allowing the Question Pool Committee of the NCVECs this flexibility will allow material included on amateur radio operator examinations to reflect technological advances in a much more timely fashion than can be accomplished by the rulemaking process.
We are amending our rules to:
(a) reduce the number of amateur radio operator license classes from six to three,
The amended rules which are appended hereto will simplify and streamline the regulations that govern the Amateur Radio Service.
(a) Any qualified person is eligible to apply for a new operator/primary station, club station or military recreation station license grant.
No new license grant will be issued for a Novice, Technician Plus, or Advanced Class operator/primary station or RACES station.
Each applicant must pass an examination for a new amateur operator license grant and for each change in operator class.
Preparing an examination.
(a) Each telegraphy message and each written question set administered to an examinee must be prepared by a VE holding an Amateur Extra Class operator license. A telegraphy message or written question set may also be prepared for the following elements by a VE holding an operator license of the class indicated:
(1) Element 3: Advanced Class operator.
(a) Each examination for an amateur operator license must be administered by a team of at least 3 VEs at an examination session coordinated by a VEC.
Before the session, the administering VEs or the
VE session manager must ensure that a public announcement is made giving the location and time of the session. The number of examinees at the session may be limited.
Adopted: December 22, 1999
Released: December 30, 1999 By the Commission:
We initiated this proceeding as part of our 1998 biennial review of regulations pursuant to Section 11 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (Communications Act), because we believe it is appropriate to review all of our regulations.
3. The major rule changes we adopt today are as follows:
The much anticipated FCC restructuring of the
Amateur Service was released on December 30, 1999
– the final government working day of the old
millennium.
Effective April 15th, applicants will only be
able to be examined for three license
classes:
General - the HF entry level;
Extra - a technically-oriented senior
license.
This means that all licensees will retain their
current operating privileges.
Both the Technician Class multiple choice
written exam – now called Element 2 and General
Class written exam, now Element 3 will contain 35
multiple choice questions. The Extra Class
written Element 4 will have 50 questions. The
question pool system remains intact and each of
the three remaining question pools are still
required to contain at least ten times as many
questions as appear on an examination.
Technicians licensed before March 21, 1987 retain
exam credit for both the 5-wpm code and the
General Class Element 3 and are thus eligible for
upgrade without further examination.
They must, however, apply using an NCVEC Form
605 at a VE session after April 15th and pay the
standard ($6.65) application fee to have their
license updated to the General class.
These "Old Techs" must submit some sort of
proof that they held a Technician license prior
to 1987. The VECs are being held responsible for
reviewing and approving this evidence. Some VECs
(including the W5YI-VEC) are able to supply
applicants with documentary evidence of their
having held a Technician license prior to 1987.
(Call: 1-800-669-9594 if you need assistance.)
For example, current Advanced Class hams may
pass the existing Element 4B (Extra written exam
before April 15th and then (after paying the fee)
request an Extra Class license at a VE
examination session held after April 15th without
further examination.
These applicants simply submit copies of their
Advanced Class license and the CSCE Element 4B
exam credit certificate to the VE team who will
authorize the Extra Class ticket.
Current No-Code Techs may pass the existing
Element 3B exam before April 15, then have 1 year
to pass 5-wpm code test for General.
A General Class amateur could pass the current
Element 4A and 4B and then trade the CSCE's in
for an Extra Class ticket after April 15th.
The amateur service is available to be used by persons who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.
It presents an opportunity for individuals to self-train, intercommunicate, and carry out technical investigations.
Amateur radio operators engage in voluntary, noncommercial communications with other amateur radio operators located in the United States and in foreign countries.
Amateur radio operators also routinely provide essential communications links and facilitate relief actions on a purely voluntary basis when a disaster occurs or is likely to occur.
The amateur service rules are designed
to allow licensees in this service to provide emergency communications, advance radio technology, improve operator skills, enhance international goodwill, and expand the number of trained operators, technicians, and electronic experts.
A. License Structure
(b) reduce the number of written examination
elements from five to three and the number of telegraphy examination elements from three to one,
(c) authorize Advanced Class amateur radio operators to prepare and administer examinations for the General Class amateur radio operator license,
(d) eliminate RACES station licenses.
(2) Elements 1 and 2: Advanced, General, or Technician (including Technician Plus) Class operators.