SB QST @ ARL $ARLB010
ARLB010 FCC to Stop Accepting Pre-December 2003 Form 605

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ARRL Bulletin 10  ARLB010
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  April 12, 2004
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB010
ARLB010 FCC to Stop Accepting Pre-December 2003 Form 605

Effective with Monday, May 3, receipts, the FCC's Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau will dismiss any applications filed on an
FCC Form 605 issued earlier than December 2003. Form 605, Quick-Form
Application for Authorization in the Ship, Aircraft, Amateur,
Restricted and Commercial Operator, and General Mobile Radio
Service, is the hard-copy version of the Amateur Service
application. The change does not affect applicants filing on-line
with the Universal Licensing System (ULS) at,
http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/, said the FCC, which is encouraging
on-line filing

ARRL VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, says the Form 605 announcement
will affect the way ARRL has been making FCC Form 605 available. He
says the League's widely distributed March 2001 Form 605 in a
three-sheet ivory/buff-colored package with perforated pages will
become obsolete for applications the FCC receives on or after May 3.

In the wake of the FCC's unexpected announcement, the ARRL is
developing a replacement package that could require several more
pages. It hopes to have it ready in time for Hamvention May 14-16.

The FCC has been accepting both older and current Form 605
applications that included a line (Item 9a) for a Taxpayer
Identification Number, a Social Security number for an individual.
The FCC would then issue the applicant an FCC Registration Number
(FRN) without additional paperwork. All amateur applicants must have
and use an FRN when filing an application such as Form 605 with the
FCC. Applicants attending VEC test sessions can still supply a
Social Security number, which will result in automatic Commission
Registration System (CORES) registration.

All amateur applicants must have and use an FRN when filing an
application such as Form 605 with the FCC. Under the system going
into effect in May, applicants not yet registered in CORES and
filing on paper will need to file FCC Form 160, CORES Registration
to obtain a FCC Registration Number (FRN). After the FCC has issued
an FRN, applicants also might want to file FCC Form 606 to associate
the FRN with an individual's license record(s) and call sign(s).
CORES registration data and FCC license data are maintained in
separate FCC databases.

The completed Form 160 goes to a unique Washington, DC, FCC address
to obtain the applicant's FRN. Once the FCC issues an FRN to the
applicant, this number must be used when filing FCC Form 605, which
goes to the FCC's Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, office. The two forms
may not be mailed to Gettysburg together. Applicants need to have
obtained an FRN via Form 160 before they can file a Form 605.

ARRL recommends that all amateurs file an on-line or paper Form 606
to associate their FRN with their license record(s) and call sign(s)
in the FCC license database. Jahnke says the easiest way is to do
this electronically via the ULS, and the process now is fairly
straightforward.

The current edition of Form 605, dated December 2003, is available
on the FCC forms page, http://wireless.fcc.gov/feesforms/index.html.

For more information or assistance, contact the FCC Consumer Center,
toll-free, 888-CALLFCC (888-225-5322) and select option 2, or via
e-mail at, fccmd@fcc.gov.
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