FCC NPRM MD Docket No. 20-270 changing FCC fee structure, including Amateur Radio. $50 for new licenses and renewals and Vanity License Applications

[alcahuete]

I find it difficult to believe that it costs anything near $50 for printing and mailing a paper copy of the license.

Just like it doesn't really cost the hospital $100 for a Tylenol. But you're paying for the staff, the electricity, the water for the lawn, the building, the equipment, the janitors, etc. Same is true with the FCC. Sure, our taxes pay for that too, but a decent chunk of their budget does come from user fees.

 

[AK9R]

$50. $10 per yer. $0.83 per month.

Amateur radio licenses are good for 10 years. $50 for 10 years is $5 per year.

 

[mmckenna]

I find it difficult to believe that it costs anything near $50 for printing and mailing a paper copy of the license.

And unless you specifically request it, they don't even do that anymore.

Considering the VE's do the work and put the entry in via computer, there's very little the FCC actually does.

 

[mmckenna]

Just like it doesn't really cost the hospital $100 for a Tylenol.

As of last year, it was $10 a tablet. But yeah, it's all the behind the scenes stuff that makes that tablet appear and properly documented on your chart, (not to mention all the malpractice insurance they have to have in case you choke on that Tylenol tablet.)

Kind of like licensing. With the exception of Amateur, there's some amount of work that goes into most of what the FCC does.

 

[N4DES]

I see two areas that the $50.00 will help, but I'm sure it isn't the focus of the NPRM. The first are those that seem to change call signs at least once per year and tie up call signs for two years and the other are those who, I like to call, are "licensed by assignment". They are tagged as the comm's person in things like CERT groups that become financially obligated to buy their own gear and then loose interest within 2 years or less. This does nothing but artificially inflate the numbers.

Do I actually agree with it, no I don't. Maybe $25, so the total cost of the test plus the proposed FCC regulatory fee is just under $50.00 for the initial 10 years I think is reasonable, and then $25.00 after every 10 year period after that.

 

[AK9R]

Maybe if they make some more money it will be used for enforcement.... Not holding my breath though

I think you would be wise to not hold your breath.

The fees will not go towards enforcement. The fees would primarily be used to offset the ongoing costs of maintaining the FCC Universal Licensing System.

 

[K9DWB]

Me thinks a side "benefit" from these fees could be to clean out some of these jokers that like to ride the fence of FCC rules. I'm sure that in the next 10 years, I can scrape the $50 to renew, so I'm staying in if/when this fee does apply.

 

[ab3a]

The only argument I have is practical: If a new license (renewals are free) costs $50, then there will be a certain number of people who will say forget it, and just go on the air without a license.

The FCC is a paper tiger. They don't enforce much of anything unless there is real money in it for them. Even then, they have no enforcement arm of their own and everything has to go to federal court.

So this will simply increase the entropy of radio spectrum while everyone does their own thing, regardless of regulation. This is why we can't have nice things.

 

[mmckenna]

The only argument I have is practical: If a new license (renewals are free) costs $50, then there will be a certain number of people who will say forget it, and just go on the air without a license.

With it currently being free, there are already those that do it. The $50 isn't the issue. It's the defiance and "I don't give a $#!&" attitude. That and consumers buying radios off Amazon and figuring they can do whatever they want.

 

[TailGator911]

I suspect that ham numbers will start dropping in large numbers.

...and illegal transmissions will start rising in large numbers.

 

[AI7PM]

Amateur radio licenses are good for 10 years. $50 for 10 years is $5 per year.

It was single malt scotch. good catch.

 

[alcahuete]

The only argument I have is practical: If a new license (renewals are free) costs $50, then there will be a certain number of people who will say forget it, and just go on the air without a license.

Or they'll go to GMRS/FRS, MURS, CB like they do now. There are not a lot of unauthorized users on amateur radio bands because the chances of getting caught are much greater. You and you're family can't illegally get on repeaters every day, for example, and conduct your business, because you will get caught. HF? Simplex? Much easier, but for the most part, people don't do it knowingly.

I have a security company near me that uses ham radio frequencies illegally. The only reason I found them is because they are using simplex on the output of a repeater I use, and I turned the inbound tone off to do some troubleshooting. That's when I heard them. I'm sure they're using some eBay radios or Baofengs or such that just happened to be programmed to that frequency. I highly doubt they decided that they were going to use ham radio frequencies illegally because they couldn't past the test or whatever.

 

[K9DWB]

I'm convinced the Tech license can't be that hard. I mean, if I could pass at 32/35 that should be evidence to that fact.

 

[W5lz]

Or they'll go to GMRS/FRS, MURS, CB like they do now. There are not a lot of unauthorized users on amateur radio bands because the chances of getting caught are much greater. You and you're family can't illegally get on repeaters every day, for example, and conduct your business, because you will get caught. HF? Simplex? Much easier, but for the most part, people don't do it knowingly.

I have a security company near me that uses ham radio frequencies illegally. The only reason I found them is because they are using simplex on the output of a repeater I use, and I turned the inbound tone off to do some troubleshooting. That's when I heard them. I'm sure they're using some eBay radios or Baofengs or such that just happened to be programmed to that frequency. I highly doubt they decided that they were going to use ham radio frequencies illegally because they couldn't past the test or whatever.

Simple. Report them.

 

[W5lz]

I can remember when there certainly was a renewal fee. Wasn't anywhere near $50 dollars though. And it wasn't the ARRL!

 

[alcahuete]

Simple. Report them.

The FCC does nothing, and they don't particularly bother me. If I really wanted to fix the problem, I would DF them and go have a chat with them. But just haven't had the time or desire to do that yet.

 

[TailGator911]

You would think that at $50 a pop they'd be able to afford more field agents. You would think...

 

[AK9R]

The money isn't for enforcement or field agents. The money is for the FCC ULS.

 

[KE0GXN]

Just another topic for the doom and gloom folks to use for "the hobby is dying" and this will just run off new people argument...

I will pay it if I have to, with no problem. We all spend more than $50 dollars just to sit down at a restaurant today with our families.

I have only been licensed coming up on 5 years, I have already lost count of all the changes that were going to kill ham radio, yet here we all still are ragchewing, chasing DX and playing radio.

 

[nd5y]

I have only been licensed coming up on 5 years, I have already lost count of all the changes that were going to kill ham radio,

I have been licensed since 1981 and ham radio has been "dying" even before then.