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 Previous: Wisconsin Governor Signs Amateur Antenna Bill |  Next: ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up To Lately? |
NEWINGTON, CT, Apr 3, 2002--If the FCC continues to process vanity applications at its current rate, the application backlog could disappear by next week. The FCC continues to whittle away the vanity backlog, issuing another 326 grants over the last three processing runs. As of today, the FCC has processed vanity applications received at its Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, office through February 22.
Assuming the current pace continues, the remaining backlog of around 500 vanity applications could be wiped out by April 10. The FCC does not process vanity applications on weekends. The typical wait for action on a vanity call sign application is about 18 days from the time the application is received by the Private Wireless Division Licensing and Technical Analysis Branch in Gettysburg. At its peak, the vanity backlog was estimated at more than 2000 applications.
The processing of routine Amateur Service applications has been unaffected by the vanity problems. The trouble began after about two weeks of paper vanity applications sent off for anthrax decontamination were not returned to Gettysburg. FCC policy continues to give equal priority to paper and electronic vanity applications, and when the paper applications were waylaid, vanity processing ground to a halt. FCC staffers--with ARRL's assistance--used payment information to contact those who had filed and have them submit new applications.
The FCC said last month that it's finally starting to receive the applications that had been missing and were at the core of the major vanity holdup that had extended through much of the fall and winter. Outside of a short hiatus about a month ago to deal with a processing anomaly, the FCC has been proceeding cautiously with its effort to get current again on vanity applications.
Meanwhile, comments are due April 23 on an FCC proposal to raise the regulatory fee it charges vanity call sign applicants from $12 to $14.50 for the 10-year license term. Reply comments on the proposal are due May 3. If approved, the new, higher fee likely would go into effect in September. The FCC proposed the new fee in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (MD Docket No. 02-64) released March 27 to set Fiscal Year 2002 fees. The FCC has estimated that 8000 applicants would apply for vanity call signs in FY2001.
Vanity applicants will continue to pay the $12 regulatory fee per call sign (per 10-year license term) until the FY2002 fee schedule becomes effective. The vanity fee is paid at the time of application for a new, renewal or reinstated vanity license.
Following last week's four-day hiatus to deal with the processing anomaly, vanity processing tentatively resumed on March 15, when some three dozen grants were issued.
"We're trying to keep the runs manageable, so we can go through them later," the FCC staffer explained. "We haven't found anything wrong." She said the FCC has been running approximately one week's worth of applications during each evening run. The FCC has indicated that it wants to avoid a situation that would require calling back any vanity grants later.
Vanity applicants have been advised to be patient and to refrain from repeated inquiries to the FCC. In addition to the Amateur Service, Licensing Branch staffers in Gettysburg also handle applications for certain commercial and public safety wireless services.
The FCC said last week that it's finally starting to receive the two weeks' worth of October paper vanity applications that had been missing and were at the core of the major vanity holdup that extended through much of the fall and winter. The applications had been sent from Gettysburg to Washington, DC, last fall for anthrax decontamination. Although the majority of vanity applications are filed electronically, the FCC's policy is to give equal processing weight to paper and electronic applications, so the whole system ground to a halt. Before March 6, only a few vanity call signs had trickled out since last October 30.
Amateurs with pending applications may take advantage of the FCC Call Center's toll free number, 888-CALL FCC (888-225-5322) or may initiate an application search via the Universal Licensing System (ULS). Information on the amateur vanity call sign system is available on the FCC's Vanity Call Sign page.
| Previous: Wisconsin Governor Signs Amateur Antenna Bill | Next: ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up To Lately? |
