FCC Proposes Eliminating Paper License Renewals by Surface Mail

I'm an old fart as well, older than the two previous who allege to be old farts. Thus far, I'm OK with online transactions, but I have internet service. I suspect there may be those out there with no internet service, and the proposed change would place those folks at a disadvantage.

 

Seems like there are already some low-cost services who will file your license for you for a modest fee. Isn't QRZ one of those? W5YI?

 

I think that is the point and the cost of renewing those few licenses would likely not even amount to a rounding error in the FCC budget.

 

I happen to know of a few elderly men both hams and non-hams who don't have computers and internet. I know of a couple of men in their 40s who don't have computers and internet also. You can go use a computer at a library I suppose, but you still have to have computer skills if the FCC has its way. And you have to have an email address. Expecting a non-technical 90 year old man with no computer ability to do all this is a lot.

Does it strike anyone as ironic that a way of communication, namely ham radio, which is touted as being there when all else fails, will have to rely on the internet to get licensed? I can already hear non-hams asking, "If you have to use the internet to get a license, why are you even bothering with radio at all?"

 

Hi Tim,

I seriously doubt there is any amateur radio license holder that has absolutely no access to the Internet. The two pretty much go together.

For the truly isolated ham, s/he has to come into town sometime to do laundry, shower and buy food/supplies. During that time in town, a quick trip to a library, coffee shop or community center will give the internet access needed to do the dirty deed.


[Alleged Old Fart] Regards,
-Bruce

 

I am not a postal worker and never have been. I have read all the articles about the dieing postal service. This is just another nail in the coffin of the Post Office. I often read that it just takes one small crack in the dike to lead to a total failure. Keep it up you computer freaks and there will be a large segment of our society that will not be able to do anything because the computers have taken over.

 

Might be just the self regulated CB License.

 

Everyone wants to "Go Green"?? I still get the paper bills when i can. If the computer goes down or someone hacks your e-mail account , i still have the paper? Too old fashioned to change much now

 

They (the FCC) want to reduce their payroll expense......

 

Who says there won't be any more paper licenses? The way I read the caption, it just says that paper licenses won't be delivered using surface mail anymore. They'll use drones.

 

Next action: just go to the nearest grocery store and get your license in a cereal box:

 

I guess you have never had mail stolen from your mailbox or had mail addressed to you mis-delivered and never find its way to you? You are a lucky individual.

Regards,
-Bruce

 

The US Postal Service handled 56.7 billion pieces of First Class mail in 2018.

The trend is downward (it was 58.7 billion the year before), but if EVERY SINGLE ham in the U.S. received mailing in 2018, and that was eliminated, the rseulting decrease would be 0.0014515%

Our effect is negligible.

 

One way or the other i want to get it. there is possible danger both ways.

 

I see that some of the 'old farts' have never hand-coded HTML, otherwise, they would understand that the "/" (slash) is a NOT logical operator.

as in:

<comment> ; turn a comment area on

Put comments in here.

</comment> ; turn a comment area off