Breaking news: Fcc inaugurates paperless amateur radio licensing february 17

The interesting number would be how much did it cost to implement the change in order to save an insignificant amount of money by government standards. I'll venture a guess it was in the millions if you take into account resources, changes made to the ULS system, reams of documents needed through lawyers, impact studies, etc.

I hope all they did was say were not going to send out paper licensee's anymore and it's a net gain but I seriously doubt it.

 

Braker...cmon back....

I break for mispelz.

73
Chip W1YW

 

The FCC just made $45b and they stop printing licenses.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!!

http://www.cnet.com/news/fcc-rakes-in-45-billion-from-wireless-spectrum-auction/

 

No, the word braking (or breaking) was not used in the ARRL story.

 

Go to http://www.wm7d.net/ and look up your callsign. Click "more detail" then "print reference copy".

 

And what wud U wanna bet? Those driver's licenses es Federal ID's will be encased in plastic too! Respectfully,G.L.Mitchell-W2MYA, West Caldwell,N.J.

 

That's terrific

 

Well I'm just tickled pink with a shade of green from hugging a tree right now. And this makes a bureaucracy more efficient how? This isn't breaking news.

 

They can probably send you the detailed 25 page report in the mail, to explain why using the mail to send a license is not efficient.

 

There was an article yesterday about Iowa pursuing a virtual drivers license:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/17/iowa-pursues-a-virtual-drivers-license-app/?_r=0

Its not just the FCC going this way.

I actually have pictures of my license in my phone because I needed it to prove myself to EQSL a few months ago. Although I do have a copy of the smaller one in my wallet, I figured what the heck and kept them.

Its the way its going. I expect sometime in the next few years a state will come out with barcoded plates and you won't put stickers on them anymore. You won't need to because the barcode can be scanned by police cars or roadside setups and the determination instantly made if you're valid or not. No more people stealing your stickers-they will just swipe the entire plate, though they won't know if its valid

Renewals are all online now too. If you walk in with a renewal notice to DMV nowadays and it isn't late, they will point you to a drop box. They don't process them anymore. Allows them to reduce staff. Not that I mind. I renew online, and the last time I did it, I had my sticker in 4 days. Used to take over a month the old fashioned way....

I'm wondering if one of the people in the FCC's printing department is retiring on Feb 17th and they aren't refilling the position....

 

...everything changes and not always for the better.

73 John K7FD

 

That alleged near quarter-million dollars to be saved in postage obviously assumes that almost no one will request an official printed copy of their license.

In reality, I would venture to guess that almost everyone WILL request an FCC-printed license document. So Mr. Bureau Chief, where is your savings now???

Sure, it all looks good in theory. But stark reality remains.

73, Alan N3HOE
Melbourne, Florida USA

 

Gradual transition. They will announce in a year that the "majority" of people have opted for the paperless option, and will phase out the printed one.

With no way to really prove if this has happened or not, it will be done.

People would scream too loud if they eliminated it now. So now they print it on standard paper, people figure they can do that themselves.

They get what they eventually want. Its the government way-set a goal, take steps to reach it.

 

Originally Posted by KJ6SVA
Wow, they can hand out driver licenses for new immigrants and it's no big deal but they can't give us a radio license?


That we EARNED.