The infrastructure is paid for by taxes. The fees are a fee for service, which is supposed to just cover the costs associated with the processing. In the case of a ham radio license, I have a hard time believing the costs are going up that much.
FCC NPRM MD Docket No. 20-270 changing FCC fee structure, including Amateur Radio. $50 for new licenses and renewals and Vanity License Applications
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K5MPH
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What do you get for 35 dollars,the privilage to use the fcc frequency band plan ......
One step in putting ham radio's out of personal use! Buch of crap IMHO. This will slow down or stop others looking at getting a ticket!
techman210
Member
If the fee was $0.35, hams would still complain.
Majority of your trunking systems will revert to single site trunking if they lose the master controller or communications to or from the master, or single repeater on each tower , most of your Counties have portable systems and comm vehicles they can deploy to a scene with an ETA of travel time.
By the time the majority of hams would deploy if requested , figure out how to actually program their radio, or screw around with FL digi etc, the incident would be 3/4 over.
We have a Nuclear Power Plant about 2 miles from here, every so often as required by the NRC, the 4 or 5 local counties that surround the PP have disaster drills. Listening to the County comms pass traffic, and listening to the local participating hams pass traffic, the hams are typically 45 minutes to an hour behind passing the SAME materials. If there were to be an Evac sent, I surely wouldnt want to be relying on the amateur network to get my evac notice ..................
sloop
Member
Quit griping...$50 is not that unreasonable. When I first applied for my license in 1971 the cost was $25.00 (that's $161.42 in 2020) just to register for the test and you had to go to a testing center (by appointment) to take the test. If you missed the session you had to wait another 6 months and pay another $25. No publishing of the test questions, you went prepared only with knowledge (and a certain level of code proficiency) , not memorization of the answers. If I could afford to get my license as a 20 year old working my way through college and traveling almost 100 miles to take the test, then I don't see a problem with a $50 fee, answers to the questions in advance, and taking the test locally.
W8WCA
Member
That is all well and good
Except: I am living on the same income I had 25 years ago!
Times are tough
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!
Everything goes up except my paycheck and pecker!
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Or, the cost of two Baofengs.
LOL!!! Yep!
k6cpo
Member
Isn't it about time to end this discussion? The Report and Order has already been issued imposing a $35 application fee.
Amateur radio is a privilege, not a right. One has to submit to an examination of knowledge, attest to a certain level of character, not be under sanction by the FCC, and you now must pay a fee.
ARRL and VECs aside, if you cannot afford it, you cannot claim an inherent right to it. The government does not guarantee you a financial right to your hobby interest/s.
Just like driving, you pay a fee to get a permit/license for yourself and your autos.
ARRL and VECs aside, if you cannot afford it, you cannot claim an inherent right to it. The government does not guarantee you a financial right to your hobby interest/s.
Just like driving, you pay a fee to get a permit/license for yourself and your autos.
That kinda sums it up. A Privilege.
What about the money they're already getting from our taxes?
ecps92
Member
What tax do you pay to the FCC??
Considering how many hams have already cut back on VHF / UHF operation for local chit-chat (thanks to the lowering costs & proliferation of cell 'phones & e-mail access), that's already been happening, and for a few years now (at least here in northern Illinois & southern Wisconsin).
Where else do you suppose they've gotten money from all of these years?
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Are you forgetting about all the LMR users who pay taxes yet still are required to pay for their FCC license?
$35 for 10 years and the amount of spectrum that can be leveraged is a tremendous bargain!
Speaking of complaining about $.35. "If there were three licensed operators in a city, there would be two amateur radio clubs there."-Riley Hollingsworth
Speaking of complaining about $.35. "If there were three licensed operators in a city, there would be two amateur radio clubs there."-Riley Hollingsworth
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