[SEDXC] FCC ELIMINATING MORSE CODE EXAM REQUIREMENTS

[Ed Tanton]

Text straight from FCC's website...


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                   NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
December 15, 
2006 
Chelsea Fallon:  (202) 418-7991

FCC MODIFIES AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE RULES,
ELIMINATING MORSE CODE EXAM REQUIREMENTS AND
ADDRESSING ARRL PETITION FOR RECONSIDERATION

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Report 
and Order and Order on Reconsideration (Order) 
that modifies the rules for the Amateur Radio 
Service by revising the examination requirements 
for obtaining a General Class or Amateur Extra 
Class amateur radio operator license and revising 
the operating privileges for Technician Class 
licensees.  In addition, the Order resolves a 
petition filed by the American Radio Relay 
League, Inc. (ARRL) for partial reconsideration 
of an FCC Order on amateur service rules released on October 10, 2006.

The current amateur service operator license 
structure contains three classes of amateur radio 
operator licenses:  Technician Class, General 
Class, and Amateur Extra Class.  General Class 
and Amateur Extra Class licensees are permitted 
to operate in Amateur bands below 30 MHz, while 
the introductory Technician Class licensees are 
only permitted to operate in bands above 30 
MHz.  Prior to today’s action, the FCC, in 
accordance with international radio regulations, 
required applicants for General Class and Amateur 
Extra Class operator licenses to pass a five 
words-per-minute Morse code examination.  Today’s 
Order eliminates that requirement for General and 
Amateur Extra licensees.  This change reflects 
revisions to international radio regulations made 
at the International Telecommunication Union’s 
2003 World Radio Conference (WRC-03), which 
authorized each country to determine whether to 
require that individuals demonstrate Morse code 
proficiency in order to qualify for an amateur 
radio license with transmitting privileges on 
frequencies below 30 MHz.  This change eliminates 
an unnecessary regulatory burden that may 
discourage current amateur radio operators from 
advancing their skills and participating more 
fully in the benefits of amateur radio.

Today’s Order also revises the operating 
privileges for Technician Class licensees by 
eliminating a disparity in the operating 
privileges for the Technician Class and 
Technician Plus Class licensees.  Technician 
Class licensees are authorized operating 
privileges on all amateur frequencies above 30 
MHz.  The Technician Plus Class license, which is 
an operator license class that existed prior the 
FCC’s simplification of the amateur license 
structure in 1999 and was grandfathered after 
that time, authorized operating privileges on all 
amateur frequencies above 30 MHz, as well as 
frequency segments in four HF bands (below 30 
MHz) after the successful completion of a Morse 
code examination.  With today’s elimination of 
the Morse code exam requirements, the FCC 
concluded that the disparity between the 
operating privileges of Technician Class 
licensees and Technician Plus Class licensees 
should not be retained.  Therefore, the FCC, in 
today’s action, afforded Technician and 
Technician Plus licensees identical operating privileges.

Finally, today’s Order resolved a petition filed 
by the ARRL for partial reconsideration of an FCC 
Order released on October 10, 2006 (FCC 
06-149).  In this Order, the FCC authorized 
amateur stations to transmit voice communications 
on additional frequencies in certain amateur 
service bands, including the 75 meter (m) band, 
which is authorized only for certain wideband 
voice and image communications.  The ARRL argued 
that the 75 m band should not have been expanded 
below 3635 kHz, in order to protect automatically 
controlled digital stations operating in the 
3620-3635 kHz portion of the 80 m band.  The FCC 
concluded that these stations can be protected by 
providing alternate spectrum in the 3585-3600 kHz frequency segment.

Action by the Commission on December 15, 2006, by 
Report and Order and Order on 
Reconsideration.  Chairman Martin and 
Commissioners Copps, Adelstein, Tate, and McDowell.

For additional information, contact William Cross 
at (202) 418-0691 or William.Cross at fcc.gov.

WT Docket Nos. 04-140 and 05-235.

– FCC –

News and other information about the Federal Communications Commission
is available at <http://www.fcc.gov/>www.fcc.gov.


Ed Tanton

website: http://www.n4xy.com

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