There’s been some talk going around that the FCC will begin charging the $35 license fee real soon now. According to the ARRL, this IS NOT the case. In an email to Great Lakes Division members, director Dale Williams, WA8EFK, writes:
Several individual have incorrectly reported that the proposed fees for amateur Radio licensing have taken effect.
This is NOT TRUE.
The FCC fees Report and Order adopted last December was published in the Federal Register this past week. To quote from ARRL’s Legal Counsel, “I want to note to everyone that although generally the rules take effect on April 19, collection of the amateur fees will NOT begin on that date.
‘The effective date for new amateur radio fees has not yet been established. The FCC explicitly states in the published Notice (at p. 15061, para. 44) that the fees ‘will not take effect until the requisite notice has been provided to Congress, the FCC’s information technology systems and internal procedures have been updated, and the Commission publishes notice(s) in the Federal Register announcing the effective date of such rules.’ I expect that the effective date will be some time this summer, but in any event we will have advance notice.’
Please, let us not contribute to the spread of incorrect information.
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