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Author Topic: FCC proposes $50 fee for new ham radio licenses upgrades and vanity application  (Read 746 times)

KA1VF

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  • Posts: 202

I held my breath and gritted my teeth while putting the
$ 65.00 FCC fee on my American Express card for a
FCC “lifetime” Commercial Radio license. The $ 50.00
FCC fee for a ten year renewable Amateur Radio license
might be tolerable for Hams that are active.

        73, and take care
             Bob







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KILGORE34

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I guess I don't get it so much the fees i mean.  I don't mind the 65 dollars but these radios are pretty expensive.  I'm learning this is a expensive endevor. 
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N6YWU

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Most of us, trying to have a decent station will spend at least 20 to 25K, ...

I wonder what's the actual percentage of new and active operators who spend that much?  A bunch of people in the local amateur radio club only spend a few hundred on an HT, and maybe a few hundred to a couple k$ on a SOTA QRP rig and some wire.  An order of magnitude less than your $20k.  But, yeah, $5/annum is only a fraction for those who buy appliances.

But for the high school and college students who build and connect one of those under $100 QRP kits to their computers for digital modes only.  $50 is close to doubling their start-up costs.
« Last Edit: August 30, 2020, 06:23:33 PM by N6YWU »
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W9FIB

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You know if you go through the dumpsters at hamfests you can probably find enough stuff and with some ingenuity build a station for free. Obviously a not very good one, but it could be done.

So now your on the air for $5 a year. Most collage kids spend more than that on beer in 1 night. (I know I did at the time.)

Lets keep things in perspective.
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73, Stan
Travelling the world one signal at a time.

KM1H

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Quote
But for the high school and college students who build and connect one of those under $100 QRP kits to their computers for digital modes only.  $50 is close to doubling their start-up costs.

So what?  This isnt a welfare hobby and I doubt if those students arent without disposable funds. I had a part time job when in HS in 1955 and times havent changed for anybody that isnt just out for freebies....this hobby doesnt need that trash.
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KV4BL

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  • Posts: 83

My drivers license cost me $23 every two years in New Mexico. $50 for a ham license for ten years.....big deal. Grow up. The FCC is not a charity.

That's not the point!...the point is when are we going to start saying NO to these UN-ELECTED BUREAUCRATS!!!!...

Dr FAUXI says "ya betta close your business, otherwise PEOPLE WILL DIE!!!!!"  met with a whimpery OKAY DR WONDERFUL....xoxoxoxoxo

"Ya Better walk around wearing a mask, looking like a DOOFUS, otherwise PEOPLE WILL DIE!!!!!...met with a whimpery OK!!!!!....xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The FCC says "your gonna pay $50.00 to us if you want your license"....Met with a whimpery OK UNCLE CHARLIE...xoxoxoxoxo....

THIS IS BS....you grow up and stop being a member of the Sheeple Crowd.....

V
K3NRX

P.S. What are our wonderful representative at the ARRL going to do to stop this???....my guess is this....NOTHING.....


My drivers license cost me $23 every two years in New Mexico. $50 for a ham license for ten years.....big deal. Grow up. The FCC is not a charity.

That's not the point!...the point is when are we going to start saying NO to these UN-ELECTED BUREAUCRATS!!!!...

Dr FAUXI says "ya betta close your business, otherwise PEOPLE WILL DIE!!!!!"  met with a whimpery OKAY DR WONDERFUL....xoxoxoxoxo

"Ya Better walk around wearing a mask, looking like a DOOFUS, otherwise PEOPLE WILL DIE!!!!!...met with a whimpery OK!!!!!....xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The FCC says "your gonna pay $50.00 to us if you want your license"....Met with a whimpery OK UNCLE CHARLIE...xoxoxoxoxo....

THIS IS BS....you grow up and stop being a member of the Sheeple Crowd.....

V
K3NRX

P.S. What are our wonderful representative at the ARRL going to do to stop this???....my guess is this....NOTHING.....

K3NRX,  HEAR, HEAR!!!!
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K1JRF

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If they used some of the fee for enforcement , say cleaning up the cesspool called 80m , I'd gladly pay more. Apologies to the good guys on 80m....  Guessing most know what I'm talking about.
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WW5F

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The funny thing is...

I tried to do a bit of reading since I've learned in life to believe only what I personally experience, half of what I read and nothing of what people tell me.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 addresses funding for more than a handful of government agencies. Division P is the "Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act of 2018" or the "RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018".

In section 102 of Section P, Application and Regulatory fees, it says Section 8 of the Communications Act of 1934 is *amended* to read as follows:

"Section 9 Regulatory Fees"
"Paragraph (e) Exceptions:"...
"Subparagraph (1) Parties to which fees are not applicable"...
"Subsubparagraph (B) an amateur radio operator licensee under part 97 of the Commission’s rules (47 CFR part 97);"...

So, the latest change is that amateur radio operators are *still* exempt from fees.

So now we have an NPRM that says "We're going to start charging $50/year."

In NPRM FCC 20-116's Introduction, "the changes we initiate today derive from modifications to the Commission’s statutory application fee authority made by the RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018."

So where's the modification which allows them to charge $50 for hams?

So this Notice of Proposed Rule Making is to make a rule that ignores an act of congress?  Where in the Ray Baum Act does it say Amateur Radio is no longer exempt?

What ever it is I'm missing, I see the whole point of this NPRM is to basically give the FCC more flexibility in how they're reimbursed for services.  If anyone has noticed the national debt lately, there's one thing needed more than anything else: more flexibility--if they are to have any chance at all at restructuring the budget to give us longer term stability.  They've been constrained by law in making changes since 1986.  They've only been able to make changes based on the CPI (rounded to the nearest $5).  And they're not able to add or delete fee categories.  I understand.  But...

All this legal mumbo jumbo. I shouldn't have to be a lawyer to read and understand what congress does. It pi55e5 me off to no end when politicians says things like, "we have to pass the bill to find out what's in the bill."

Or is this just another example of people in powerful positions of government who don't have to follow the law?  This is the root cause of all the strife I see today.

$50, $100, $1,000... whatever... I don't care any more.

I'm seriously considering adding a comment (during the public comment period of this NPRM) that says something to the effect, "Is $50 enough?  Are you sure you're planning appropriately for the life cycles and replacement costs of your PCs, servers, printers, and backbone devices associated with ULS?"
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KILGORE34

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So what?  This isnt a welfare hobby and I doubt if those students arent without disposable funds. I had a part time job when in HS in 1955 and times havent changed for anybody that isnt just out for freebies....this hobby doesnt need that trash.

Carl this kind of speech does not motivate young potential new hams.  Just out for freebies....this hobby doesn't need that trash.  I study with a group of 5 younger people we are not trash.  All 5 of us are on this site trying to learn we have money and are trying to learn.  Why would you call us trash? 
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KILGORE34

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If they used some of the fee for enforcement , say cleaning up the cesspool called 80m , I'd gladly pay more. Apologies to the good guys on 80m....  Guessing most know what I'm talking about.

I don't know what your talking about.  I have heard cesspool mentioned numerous times on this site from others.  I'm studying for my license and tried to listen on line but it's not working very good.  My friends and I are interested in morse code not so much talking phone.  What is it about this cesspool that people keep saying and does the fcc enforce the rules we are learning?  We can talk and text on our cell phones that's why we are interested in morse code.  Is that a cesspool as well?
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K6CPO

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Reminds me when I was shooting trap and skeet.  The guy that showed up with his $25,000 gold inlaid
shotgun, and got upset when he had to pay $30.00 to shoot 100 targets in a major meet.  (Understand the price has gone up).  Most of us, trying to have a decent station will spend at least 20 to 25K, and that isn't a "big" station, so spending $150 to get an extra class license, $50.00 for vanity license, (I know I got mine for free, I apologize) or 10 yr renewal seems rather "cheap and petty" if you're complaining.

It's the same with the hams that spend upwards of $600 for a new radio and then try to program it with CHIRP or other free software.

And just what is wrong with using CHIRP????????

Lots...  Just surf the ham radio forums and you'll see how many people have issues with it. 

But the point isn't what's right or wrong with CHIRP.  The point is that it's an analogy to complaining about $5 a year for a ten year license. It's cheaper than a 4 year driver's license in California and I won't even get into vehicle registration fees. 
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KM1H

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Quote
Carl this kind of speech does not motivate young potential new hams.  Just out for freebies....this hobby doesn't need that trash.  I study with a group of 5 younger people we are not trash.  All 5 of us are on this site trying to learn we have money and are trying to learn.  Why would you call us trash?

Poor reading comprehension and/or distorting the picture seem to follow you around. Come back when you have a ham licence and can hold an intelligent conversation  while being able to compute what percentage the 6 of you are in the total Tech roster of    388,785     (50.8%) I posted earlier
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K6CPO

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  • Posts: 839

The funny thing is...

I tried to do a bit of reading since I've learned in life to believe only what I personally experience, half of what I read and nothing of what people tell me.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 addresses funding for more than a handful of government agencies. Division P is the "Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act of 2018" or the "RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018".

In section 102 of Section P, Application and Regulatory fees, it says Section 8 of the Communications Act of 1934 is *amended* to read as follows:

"Section 9 Regulatory Fees"
"Paragraph (e) Exceptions:"...
"Subparagraph (1) Parties to which fees are not applicable"...
"Subsubparagraph (B) an amateur radio operator licensee under part 97 of the Commission’s rules (47 CFR part 97);"...

So, the latest change is that amateur radio operators are *still* exempt from fees.

So now we have an NPRM that says "We're going to start charging $50/year."

In NPRM FCC 20-116's Introduction, "the changes we initiate today derive from modifications to the Commission’s statutory application fee authority made by the RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018."

So where's the modification which allows them to charge $50 for hams?

So this Notice of Proposed Rule Making is to make a rule that ignores an act of congress?  Where in the Ray Baum Act does it say Amateur Radio is no longer exempt?

What ever it is I'm missing, I see the whole point of this NPRM is to basically give the FCC more flexibility in how they're reimbursed for services.  If anyone has noticed the national debt lately, there's one thing needed more than anything else: more flexibility--if they are to have any chance at all at restructuring the budget to give us longer term stability.  They've been constrained by law in making changes since 1986.  They've only been able to make changes based on the CPI (rounded to the nearest $5).  And they're not able to add or delete fee categories.  I understand.  But...

All this legal mumbo jumbo. I shouldn't have to be a lawyer to read and understand what congress does. It pi55e5 me off to no end when politicians says things like, "we have to pass the bill to find out what's in the bill."

Or is this just another example of people in powerful positions of government who don't have to follow the law?  This is the root cause of all the strife I see today.

$50, $100, $1,000... whatever... I don't care any more.

I'm seriously considering adding a comment (during the public comment period of this NPRM) that says something to the effect, "Is $50 enough?  Are you sure you're planning appropriately for the life cycles and replacement costs of your PCs, servers, printers, and backbone devices associated with ULS?"

You're quoting information on "Regulatory Fees" while this proposed NPRM is all about "Application Fees."  They are two entirely different things and amateur radio is still exempt from the former.
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KILGORE34

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Carl this kind of speech does not motivate young potential new hams.  Just out for freebies....this hobby doesn't need that trash.  I study with a group of 5 younger people we are not trash.  All 5 of us are on this site trying to learn we have money and are trying to learn.  Why would you call us trash?

Poor reading comprehension and/or distorting the picture seem to follow you around. Come back when you have a ham licence and can hold an intelligent conversation  while being able to compute what percentage the 6 of you are in the total Tech roster of    388,785     (50.8%) I posted earlier

Ok Carl I guess I'm stupid and my friends are as well.  You made that pretty clear.  Why don't you make your next post dumbed down to our poor reading comprehension and explain this hobby please.   
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KM1H

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Ok Carl I guess I'm stupid and my friends are as well.  You made that pretty clear.  Why don't you make your next post dumbed down to our poor reading comprehension and explain this hobby please.   

Do you have to guess your level?  I dont know about your friends so why place them at your level?
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