 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
 Previous: ISS Commander Completes WAS from Space, Gaining On DXCC |  Next: Onboard Fires, Safe Grounding Question Topics for NA1SS School Contacts |
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 26, 2006--As the window approaches to renew the very first Amateur Radio licenses issued a decade ago through the vanity call sign program, the question on many lips is, "Do I have to pay a vanity call sign fee again when I renew my license?" The answer is, "Definitely yes, if you want to keep your vanity call sign for another 10 years." The FCC has steadfastly maintained from the very start of the vanity call sign program that payment of the vanity call sign regulatory fee would be required for renewal applications as well as for new applications.
"Some commenters believe that the fee for a vanity call sign should be charged on a one-time basis only, and that no fee should be required when the license is renewed," the FCC remarked in its December 23, 1994, Report and Order in PR Docket 93-905, "Amendment of the Amateur Service Rules to Implement a Vanity Call Sign System." The Commission continued, "The ARRL believes that a one-time fee is more appropriate because the Commission's additional workload occurs at the time of the initial processing of the vanity call sign."
Under the provisions of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, however, "we cannot provide a one-time fee for processing vanity call sign applications," the Commission concluded in 1994.
The FCC reaffirmed that stance in 2002 when it responded to two radio amateurs who had commented on its annual fee schedule proceeding, MD Docket 02-64. Both hams supported the payment of a regulatory fee to cover the initial administrative cost but questioned having to pay the fee upon renewal. The FCC responded that because it continues to incur costs related to vanity call signs even after their issuance or renewal, it believes the regulatory fee at renewal is appropriate.
"Section 9 of the Communications Act, as amended, provides for the recovery of the Commission's costs associated with its enforcement, policy and rulemaking, user information, and international activities," the FCC said in its Report and Order. "Every day, Commission staff are engaged in activities involving amateur vanity call signs, such as protecting the assignment of vanity call signs, investigating complaints on the improper or illegal usage of call signs, requests for call signs that are already assigned to someone else, and all related research that is necessary to insure the proper assignment of call signs."
The first batch of vanity call sign renewals is expected to start showing up as early as this March. Part 97 provides that Amateur Radio licensees may apply for renewal only within 90 days of the expiration date of their licenses. Those who wish to retain their current vanity call signs will have to pay the vanity call sign fee, now $21.90 for the 10-year license term. The fee could change, however, by the time the licenses of the greatest number of Amateur Radio vanity call sign holders come up for renewal this fall.
The ARRL VEC, which handles routine Amateur Radio license renewal applications as a service for League members, notes that it does not plan to process Amateur Radio vanity call sign renewal applications. ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, says that's because the VEC is currently not equipped to handle the regulatory fees that vanity renewals will require.
The vanity call sign fee has fluctuated over the years, but it's far lower than the $70 the FCC first announced in its 1994 Report and Order. The fee subsequently was reduced to $30 for the initial rounds of vanity call sign filers in 1996. Over the 10 years of the program, the fee has varied from a low of $12 to a high of $50.
The FCC's Part 97 rules are a bit more vague on the topic. §97.19(b) says, "Each application for a modification of an operator/primary or club station license grant, or the renewal thereof, to show a call sign selected by the vanity call sign system must be filed in accordance with §1.913 of this chapter." Part 1 references filing forms and fee schedules.
All Amateur Radio licensees filing renewal applications, whether or not they hold a vanity call sign, must have an FCC Registration Number and use it on the application. Vanity call sign renewal applications may be filed via the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS), and payment may be made online using a credit card. Filing is also possible on hard copy forms.
License application and renewal information and links to the required forms are available on the ARRL Amateur Application Filing FAQ Web page. The FCC's forms page also offers the required forms.
| Previous: ISS Commander Completes WAS from Space, Gaining On DXCC | Next: Onboard Fires, Safe Grounding Question Topics for NA1SS School Contacts |
