FCC Proposes Eliminating Paper License Renewals by Surface Mail

I didn't know you could even still do it by paper mail.

How quaint.

 

That was proposed by someone a couple of years ago and a docket number was assigned and comments accepted on the FCC's ECFS. There are a number of problems with lifetime licenses that have nothing to do with technology. One I recall was if licenses are good for life, they never come up for review at renewal time since there's no renewal time. This makes it even harder to take a problem licensee off the air. There were enough negative comments that the proposal was shot down. I think they should go back to expiring licenses after 5 years.

 

I'm guessing "OF" is the non sexist version of "OM". Not sure I'd like either term. I do have a name (or a call sign if you prefer). Either are acceptable.

73, Don

 

Progress is impeded only by the status quo.

 

Don - Sorry you are offended by the term 'old fart'. I'm not particularly offended when I'm called that, it depends entirely on how it's used and by who is using it. You can turn any name/title into an insult if you want to. The respectful title of 'sir' can be very insulting, just depends on how it's used and by who (whom?) and also depends on where you are from. The cultural background of the people involved is a factor. Cross culture, cross languages can also be a really big problem. 'Nick-names' for example. In some cultures/societies an insult is a term of endearment. The 'down-n-dirty' fact is to make sure you've been insulted before being insulted. Friends can use insulting 'names' when the same name from a total stranger can result in black-eyes...

 

Good points.

It has been mentioned that the commercial licenses are good for life. The amateur radio license is different in that it is an operator license and a station license rolled into one. I believe there is a requirement (as in Federal law) that the station license, be it commercial or amateur, be subject to review/renewal every 'X' number of years. The only way that an amateur license could be made good for life is if it is split into two licenses: operator and station. The operator license could be made life-time; the station license would still be subject to review/renewal. It was done this way many years ago, but it is doubtful the FCC would go back to doing that.

And not trying to hijack the thread, but I would go with a 5 year expiration on the initial license. I think that would help weed out those who got their first license and then discovered that amateur radio wasn't for them. Subsequent expirations would be 10 years. And to really stir the pot, I am in favor of retesting at renewal time.

Regards,
-Bruce

 

If you are thinking that everyone has an internet connection available you would be wrong. There are still those places where that's not the case.. It has nothing to do with age or flatulence, and I find your choice of words unfortunate at best.

 

There are places in the USA that don't have electricity or telephones, either. The world has moved on; it's the Internet Age. I don't think that's necessarily such a good thing, but it is what it is, and there are still ways to renew your license without an Internet connection.

 

I am an ISP (I founded the world's first wireless one, in fact), and can say with absolute assurance that there is virtually NO place in the US where one cannot get to an Internet connection sufficient to communicate with the FCC Web site and renew a license. Satellite will do; a cell phone will do; even a dialup modem will do. (The ULS is a trivially simple text-based Web site.) Every Starbucks or McDonalds has WiFi, and every school or library has Internet.

And if you absolutely insist upon doing it by snail mail, you can still mail ARRL or W5YI and have them do it for you.

As for the term "old fart:" I use it affectionately. To describe not only others but myself.

 

I was thinking more along the lines of someone changing your license status to inactive, downgrading you from Extra to Technician, etc. Imagine trying to untangle those kinds of disasters!

 

How about just letting me print out a decent License that doesn't say "OFFICIAL COPY" diagonally across the paper. Ah for the days of diploma like licenses for Extras.

 

But you can request a paper one if you like...at least as of now you can.

 

So if the FCC went with the lifetime license, then when will they know when someone dies and has a 1 x 2 or 2 x 1 call sign that could be put up in the database for people to bid on? Just think if there was 1000 people with 1 x 2 or 2 x 1 call signs that they got when they were in their 20's and they die just before hitting their 30th birthday...Look at the years them call signs will be locked for almost 2 generations before someone can bid on them...Just a scenario.

 

Good point! Perhaps a solution might be that vanity calls have to be renewed every 10, but sequentially issued is lifetime.

 

ULS exists whether you file by paper or not. I would suggest that using ULS is the best protection in the scenario you describe. If you do everything by paper and never create a ULS account, you have no idea what might be going on until it is too late.

Also, what we are talking about here is a systemic breach. The same thing could happen at your bank, whether you use cards and online banking or not. The same thing could happen at your healthcare provider, your insurance company, etc.

Whether you use the online interfaces of all the various entities upon which you rely to live your life or not, your entire life is sitting on a network somewhere.