W0LC
08-20-2004, 01:06 PM
I have been licensed for some time now, less then many and more then others.
Over the years, I have seen the role of the FCC in regards to Amateur radio continually divest itself and do less and less in regards to Amateur Radio related activities.
There was a time when the FCC administered exams.
- That has gone away.
There was a time when the FCC performed random checks in unmarked vans, monitoring, etc.
- That has gone away.
License restructuring was predominantly an FCC function.
- That has gone away as ARRL has primarily been the driving force on restructuring.
Enforcement activities in regards to violators.
- Went away, came back when Riley Hollingsworth came onto the scene and now, mysteriously, don't hear much of Riley anymore and enforcement seems to be waning again. (i.e. K1MAN, enforcement logs are thinner and thinner).
PRB 1 was a good thing, but the FCC never got behind it and supported it as does the ARRL.
- The ARRL is carrying the ball and has been for years.
So just what does the FCC do these days in regards to Amateur Radio one wonders? My thoughts are these:
Amateur Radio was governed and set up by the FCC years ago as a subset to supporting the military and public service in times of national emergencies. We still perform that role but to a lesser degree I think. With technological changes, the need to "amateurs" is viewed with less criticality as compared to say 40-50 years ago.
The ARRL is the primary driving force for licensing, restructuring, requesting new allocations, etc. I think the FCC relies on the ARRL to manage the amateur ranks and only serves to inconsistently issue a notice of violation and even then, it seems to lack teeth and empowerment.
What the FCC really does in my eyes: The FCC is an allocation (frequency) realtor. They sell frequency spectrum and somewhat manage it, loosely. Enforcement of amateur radio bands is largely put back onto the amateur ranks to be "self policing" which means little to nothing. What empowerment does the amateur ranks have to get an abuser off a repeater, confiscate equipment, issue fines, etc. Even the FCC doesn't do much of that unless after months of documentation, recordings, letters, etc., they act on something, and even then, it sometimes is years before they actually act.
The FCC is in bed with BPL and that is quite evident with Chairman Powell. Regardless of RFI issues, they are not doing due diligence to see test results, examine the facts, etc. They are willing to put out an RFI source capable of disabling multi spectrum sources.
So what is the role of the FCC? Hmmm...Makes one wonder.
Over the years, I have seen the role of the FCC in regards to Amateur radio continually divest itself and do less and less in regards to Amateur Radio related activities.
There was a time when the FCC administered exams.
- That has gone away.
There was a time when the FCC performed random checks in unmarked vans, monitoring, etc.
- That has gone away.
License restructuring was predominantly an FCC function.
- That has gone away as ARRL has primarily been the driving force on restructuring.
Enforcement activities in regards to violators.
- Went away, came back when Riley Hollingsworth came onto the scene and now, mysteriously, don't hear much of Riley anymore and enforcement seems to be waning again. (i.e. K1MAN, enforcement logs are thinner and thinner).
PRB 1 was a good thing, but the FCC never got behind it and supported it as does the ARRL.
- The ARRL is carrying the ball and has been for years.
So just what does the FCC do these days in regards to Amateur Radio one wonders? My thoughts are these:
Amateur Radio was governed and set up by the FCC years ago as a subset to supporting the military and public service in times of national emergencies. We still perform that role but to a lesser degree I think. With technological changes, the need to "amateurs" is viewed with less criticality as compared to say 40-50 years ago.
The ARRL is the primary driving force for licensing, restructuring, requesting new allocations, etc. I think the FCC relies on the ARRL to manage the amateur ranks and only serves to inconsistently issue a notice of violation and even then, it seems to lack teeth and empowerment.
What the FCC really does in my eyes: The FCC is an allocation (frequency) realtor. They sell frequency spectrum and somewhat manage it, loosely. Enforcement of amateur radio bands is largely put back onto the amateur ranks to be "self policing" which means little to nothing. What empowerment does the amateur ranks have to get an abuser off a repeater, confiscate equipment, issue fines, etc. Even the FCC doesn't do much of that unless after months of documentation, recordings, letters, etc., they act on something, and even then, it sometimes is years before they actually act.
The FCC is in bed with BPL and that is quite evident with Chairman Powell. Regardless of RFI issues, they are not doing due diligence to see test results, examine the facts, etc. They are willing to put out an RFI source capable of disabling multi spectrum sources.
So what is the role of the FCC? Hmmm...Makes one wonder.