FCC proposes new filing fee structure, new fees for ham radio

You don't need to convince me on your taxes and I'm sure you have what you consider a valid reason to remain there.

 

Mike...membership numbers are unknown to me. I support the league with a $25 donation every year. I dropped my membership when they raised it to $50

 

Lawyers holding public office.....ought to be illegal.

 

Funny
Like you really think the Government is giving you
service !
Total BS
That why People have had it
with how the Government
responds to the People
?? COVID-19 Response a joke??
Need I say anything more

 

Tried to do a bit of reading since I've learned in life to believe only what I personally experience, half of what I read and nothing of what people tell me.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 addresses funding for more than a handful of government agencies. Division P is the "Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act of 2018" or the "RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018".

In section 102 of Section P, Application and Regulatory fees, it says Section 8 of the Communications Act of 1934 is amended to read as follows:

"Section 9 Regulatory Fees" "Paragraph (e) Exceptions: Subparagraph (1) Parties to which fees are not applicable... subsubparagraph (B) an amateur radio operator licensee under part 97 of the Commission’s rules (47 CFR part 97);..."

So where's this $50/year number for hams in the NPRM coming from?

In NPRM FCC 20-116's Introduction, "the changes we initiate today derive from modifications to the Commission’s statutory application fee authority made by the RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018."

Where's the modification which allows them to charge $50 for hams?

So this Notice of Proposed Rule Making is to make a rule that ignores an act of congress? What am I missing? Where in the Ray Baum Act does it say Amateur Radio is no longer exempt?

What ever it is I'm missing, I see the whole point of this NPRM is to basically give the FCC more flexibility in how they're reimbursed for services. If anyone has noticed the national debt lately, there's one thing needed more than anything else: more flexibility--if they are to have any chance at all at restructuring the budget to give us longer term stability. They've been constrained by law in making changes since 1986. They've only been able to make changes based on the CPI (rounded to the nearest $5). And they're not able to add or delete fee categories. I understand. But...

All this legal mumbo jumbo. I shouldn't have to be a lawyer to read and understand what congress does. It pi55e5 me off to no end when politicians says things like, "we have to pass the bill to find out what's in the bill." Any lawyers in here? What am I missing?

 

This is from the NPRM, page 9:

"We note that, while the statute previously limited the Commission’s authority to charge fees only for specific services listed in the Act, the RAY BAUM’S Act now requires the Commission to collect fees from several previously uncharged services. As such, several services in the personal licenses category will be subject to new fees. One such example is Amateur Radio Service licenses, which were not listed on the fee schedule in section 8 of the Act, but are now subject to fees under the broader mandate of the RAY BAUM’s Act." (My emphasis.)

https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-20-116A1.pdf

Regards,
-Bruce

 

There a myth that Amateur Radio provides Emergency Communications

If that is the case, why can you not send 500Gbytes/sec data
for Police, Fire etc in an Emergency

This is all a myth unless you hit
an iceberg on the Titanic 100 years ago only in the North Atlantic Sea !!!!

Get real !

 

Why are you hammering on me?????

 

24. Personal license services include Amateur Radio Service (used for recreational, noncommercial radio services)....

In 2019, the Commission received over 197,000 personal license applications. We note that, while the statute previously limited the Commission’s authority to charge fees only for specific services listed in the Act, the RAY BAUM’S Act now requires the Commission to collect fees from several previously uncharged services. As such, several services in the personal licenses category will be subject to new fees.

One such example is Amateur Radio Service licenses, which were not listed on the fee schedule in section 8 of the Act, but are now subject to fees under the broader mandate of the RAY BAUM’s Act....

27. Other applications for personal licenses are mostly automated and do not have individualized staff costs for data input or review. For these automated processes—new/major modifications, renewal, and minor modifications—we propose a nominal application fee of $50 due to automating the processes, routine ULS maintenance, and limited instances where staff input is required.

Although there is currently no fee for vanity call signs in the Amateur Radio Service, we find that such applications impose similar costs in aggregate on Commission resources as new applications and therefore propose a $50 fee.

28. For administrative updates modifications, which also are highly automated, we find that it is in the public interest to encourage licensees to update their information without a charge. We thus propose no application fee for administrative updates modifications.

29. In instances where an applicant elects to receive a physical license by mail (including requests for a duplicate license), the Commission incurs costs for printing and mailing the duplicate authorization. The Commission has proposed to eliminate these services—but to the extent the Commission does not do so, we propose a fee of $50 to cover the costs of these services.

30. We seek comment on these proposals.


https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-20-116A1.pdf

 

What concerns me is that the NPRM seems to mix GMRS with amateur radio. They are two quite different services, but since they are not broadcast-related they are being lumped together as feeable. Also, while $50 may not be all that much, once the precedent is set what's to stop it from going as high as the traffic will bear? This could just be the start of a steadily rising fee. And while at this time the law does limit how much fees can be increased in any 2 year period there's no guarantee that won't change too.

Anyway, we can talk about this all day and nothing will change. The best action for those who do not want it is to write the FCC opposing what is still a proposal. The ARRL website has a link to the form, as well as the number of this notice. Please see http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-proposes-to-reinstate-amateur-radio-service-fees If you oppose it write and encourage fellow hams to do the same.

 

That's a "feeable" argument.

 

You implied it when you said the two sections should be congruent - or you misspoke, or I misinterpreted.

Whatever. You’re combatively investing a lot of effort into the matter which isn’t worth disputing further to me.

So you won - Ok? Notch your belt, and let’s move on.

 

I guess my question is what are they going to use the fee's for? Enforcement is something we probably need a bit more of.

 

If a $50 fee is imposed, it will slow the growth of amateur radio, in particular, young people coming into the hobby. It's not a matter of whether the fee is affordable, it's a matter of whether it's appropriate. It will also throw a wrench in VE testing because now money has not only got to be collected, it's got to be forwarded. The volunteer services performed by amateur radio operators should be enough to discourage any fees.

Hopefully, the ARRL is already all over this. Hopefully.

I wouldn't wait for the ARRL though. I would write your congressman. This needs to be headed off before it takes hold.

 

Thank you, I appreciate your concession. And rest assured, I will always agree with you, whenever you're correct.

Now, I think hams can argue, based on 47 CFR § 97 and 47 USC § 158, and the acknowledgement in the FCC NPRM, that ham radio is a non-remunerative, public service, education based, non pecuniary, non-commercial service.

Even the FCCs NPRM recognizes amateur radio as "Personal license services include Amateur Radio Service (used for recreational, noncommercial radio services)..."

Therefore, I think Ray Baum's Act conflicts with and is superseded by preexisting statutes and regulations, and I believe we properly belong under the exceptions in 47 USC § 158 (B) and or (C), or (2) because our in-kind services to the fields of education, public service, STEM, operational emcomm readiness, and delivery of sheer unadulterated BS per pound, more than compensate the government for the pittance our applications cost the overpaid federal bureaucracy. I also think they pulled the figure $50 out of their collective assets, and it's unjustified from an accounting perspective.


47 USC § 158 Application fees

(d) Exceptions

(1) Parties to which fees are not applicableThe application fees established under this section shall not be applicable to—

(A) a governmental entity;
(B) a nonprofit entity licensed in the Local Government, Police, Fire, Highway Maintenance, Forestry-Conservation, Public Safety, or Special Emergency Radio radio services; or
(C) a noncommercial radio station or noncommercial television station.

(2) Cost of collection
If, in the judgment of the Commission, the cost of collecting an application fee established under this section would exceed the amount collected, the Commission may by rule eliminate such fee.