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 Previous: Inside Your League--The Web/Software Development Department |  Next: It Seems to Us . . . Unlicensed to Kill |
NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 23, 2001--The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) has clarified several issues regarding Amateur Service implementation of the Commission Registration System--or CORES. After December 3, everyone doing business with the FCC--including amateur licensees--must obtain and use a 10-digit FCC Registration Number--or FRN--when filing. The new requirement further expands the number of FCC abbreviations, numbers and systems hams need to be aware of.
Many Amateur Service licensees now registered in the Universal Licensing System (ULS) already have been cross-registered in CORES and were issued an FRN by mail. The last cross-registration was done May 23.
The FCC has said it plans to do another cross-registration before December 3 and that once CORES becomes mandatory it will "auto-register" all amateurs who first go to register in ULS and issue them an FRN. Amateurs then may use either their FRN or their ULS-assigned Licensee ID Number in place of their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN--typically an individual's Social Security Number) when filing applications with the FCC.
Starting December 3, new or upgraded license applicants not previously registered in ULS will automatically be registered in both CORES and ULS when they provide a TIN or SSN on a license application filed for processing by a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator.
CORES vs ULS
FCC licensing personnel emphasize that CORES and ULS are separate systems with different purposes. Starting December 3, however, a licensee's FRN will appear in both the ULS and CORES databases. Although both will contain an FRN, updating information in one will not update the other. The FCC-wide CORES is "entity registration" only and is designed to track fee payments to the Commission, such as vanity call sign fees. Individuals do not have to be licensed to obtain an FRN. The FCC says CORES will permit it to streamline fee collection and tracking.
For amateurs, CORES registration will replace ULS registration, but the ULS will remain the Amateur Service licensing database within WTB, and only ULS will associate an individual with a particular call sign. CORES doesn't recognize or track call signs. Amateur licensees will continue to be required to keep their ULS records current, especially in regard to maintaining a current FCC-license mailing address.
ATINs to Disappear
Going away December 3 will be the so-called Assigned Taxpayer Identification Number, or ATIN, which the FCC has been issuing to applicants ineligible to obtain a Social Security Number, such as foreign applicants and club station licensees. In its initial CORES announcement, the FCC said club station applicants should use the TIN/SSN of the club license trustee. The FCC has since told ARRL that clubs will be exempt from having to provide a TIN/SSN. Clubs may also choose to use a trustee's TIN/SSN or a tax-exempt club's IRS-assigned EIN.
CORES will provide an exemption category for clubs and those not holding a Social Security Number to register either as an amateur club or as a foreign entity respectively and to obtain an FRN to use when filing amateur applications via the ULS, an FCC spokesperson explained. Current ATINs will be converted to FRNs in CORES, and the FCC will not accept ATINs on applications starting December 3.
Once CORES/FRN becomes mandatory, those registering in ULS will be redirected to CORES registration. The FCC says the only time an amateur applicant will need to deal with CORES after that is to update registration information, such as when changing a CORES password, address or telephone number--although there does not appear to be a specific requirement to do so.
Additional Clarification Possible
CORES and ULS on-line registrants will be able to choose a password to access either system in the future. For those already cross-registered in CORES from ULS, their CORES and ULS passwords should be identical. The WTB says that starting December 3, "all passwords will be maintained in the CORES database." Amateurs should contact the CORES help desk for password assistance. Call toll-free 877-480-3201.
The WTB is continuing to work out the details of how amateurs, CORES and ULS will co-exist, and it plans to start Amateur Service testing with CORES in early November. The results of that testing could lead to additional changes in how CORES will be implemented for the Amateur Service. The FCC has just issued another Public Notice [PDF, 91,247 bytes] that discusses the changeover to CORES/FRN in a general way and clarifies some aspects of how CORES and ULS will work together.
The FCC established
CORES last year and has been in the process of implementing it. For more
information on CORES/FRN, visit the FCC CORES Web site.
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