FCC Proposes Eliminating Paper License Renewals by Surface Mail

even the ARRL does it all on line so that you can print out you coveted license. We will be very screwed when the power goes out,
Just think of all of the very cool online things that are waiting for us. Driver License, Pilots Licenses, dog license, auto insurance, the list goes on and on.

 

Didn't they already do this? Last time I renewed, I had to print out mine myself...?

 

You "can" do it on line, but you can still do it snail mail the Old School way if you prefer.

My only comment is that there are still some older folk who don't use computers. Granted it's not many, but we tend to have some older folk in our hobby. As long as there's a way to accommodate the ones without computers I see no harm in pushing it that way.

Being a VE I have to wonder if that system going to go paperless at some time and how that would work.

Man, a PAPERLESS government agency! Who'da thunk it?! ;-}

 

"OLD FARTS?!?" I RESEMBLE THAT REMARK!!! LOLOLOL

 

That's what he's saying. You can file via mail with the League. Just do a search on "License Renewals" on the ARRL website.

 

It's up now. However, they do schedule routine downtime in the wee hours of the morning.

 

My guess? If the Internet and the FCC are gone, you are going to have much bigger problems than renewing your license. However, when it all comes back you may find a much bigger selection of calls available for vanity applications.

 

I haven't noticed it being a bit thinner than it's been in recent years. But I haven't sat an counted pages, either.

Going all electronic, paperless, would, I can tell you, cause a part of the membership to howl, and because of that, many of the advertisers. It's going to be a while longer.

 

Well, they are not gimmies, and plenty of hams understand the rules. Other than that, though, you are 100% correct, OM.

 

I view the change as one of efficiency.

If the FCC is only processing 20 paper applications per day, that is probably the reason they want to do away with them. Twenty applications per day is not a full time job for one person. This probably means that someone (or several people) at the FCC who have other full-time responsibilities are processing a few paper applications every day in addition to their other work. That is inherently inefficient.

The organization for which I work sends out about 1,700 weekly e-newsletters, and about 100 bi-weekly print newsletters to those who do not wish to receive the e-newsletter. It takes--from start to finish--about 25 minutes to send the 1,700. It takes about 3 hours to send the 100.

Paper applications are government inefficiency and government waste.

 

That GS-5 clerk that is taking care of amateur license renewals can be reassigned to more productive duties.

Or the clerk can be released to find honest work outside the government.

 

I'm wondering if this is another one of those 'economic savings' thingys such as no paper licenses unless requested. THAT is one of the silliest things I've heard lately for saving money!

 

"...reassigned to more productive duties.

Or the clerk can be released to find honest work outside the government."

And that is one of the silliest things the 'gov' has done lately. A, "You do MY job so that I don't have to. It saves money...". No it doesn't. What it is, is a totally clueless person making a suggestion that makes no sense about something that they have no ability to understand.

 

It certainly saves man-hours. A paper application requires human eyes and human hands, and said human must legally be compensated financially.

That makes perfect sense and is quite easy to understand.