QCWA Files Petition with FCC

The Quarter Century Wireless Association writes:




The Quarter Century Wireless Association, Inc. has filed a
petition with the Federal Communications Commission
requesting rulemaking action to amend Section 97.505(a) of
the Commission's Rules for the Amateur Radio Service.


PRESS RELEASE

October 30, 2000

For further information:
<ul>
Gary Harrison, K0BC

QCWA President

P.O. Box 467

Bolivar, MO 65613

417 777-7777

417 777-4783 Fax

k0bc@ipa.net

[/list]

<blockquote>

The Quarter Century Wireless Association, Inc. has filed a
petition with the Federal Communications Commission
requesting rulemaking action to amend Section 97.505(a) of
the Commission's Rules for the Amateur Radio Service. This
amendment would facilitate the restoration of those
privileges withdrawn from Advanced and General Class
operator licensees on November 22, 1968. The amended rule
would do this by requiring administering volunteer
examiners to give examination Element 4 credit to current
Advanced and General Class licensees also holding an
FCC-issued Advanced, General or Conditional Class operator
license granted before November 22, 1968. By doing such,
the person would become eligible for a Amateur Extra Class
operator license, the privileges of which include those
withdrawn on November 22, 1968.




On November 22, 1968, amateur operators holding Advanced,
General and Conditional Class licenses lost significant
operating privileges as a result of rules adopted by the
FCC in implementing a system of incentive licensing. Every
Advanced, General and Conditional Class operator was
affected adversely. Within the instant of but a single
tick of the clock, their privileges on the most popular
amateur service bands were reduced drastically. To regain
the privileges withdrawn, a licensee had to upgrade to
Amateur Extra Class by traveling to an FCC office and
passing difficult high-speed telegraphy and written
examinations.




It is the QCWA view that no useful purpose is being served
by continuing to deny the privileges withdrawn to those
amateur operators who still suffer from that action. The
single issue addressed in the petition is the need to
restore to these operators the privileges they have not
enjoyed for some 32 years. In sharp contrast with the
compassionate "grandfathering" provisions recently adopted
for the amateur service, the transition to incentive
licensing imposed an injustice on all amateur operators
holding an Advanced, General or Conditional Class operator
license grant on November 22, 1968. It brought serious
disruption to the amateur service and created ill will
within the amateur service community. Although many, if
not most, of the licensees affected have since upgraded to
a higher operator class, there is a widespread belief
within the amateur service community that the abrupt
withdrawing of privileges was unjust to all Advanced,
General and Conditional Class operator licensees of that
era.




There remains today, at most, a few thousand amateur
operators so affected who have not chosen to upgrade. Some
do so as their statement in protest to having been affected
so adversely. Clearly, these licensees lost significant
privileges for which they had previously qualified by
examination before FCC examiners. Moreover, for many years
- in some instances for many decades - these licensees had
been using those privileges at their amateur stations.
Most certainly, they had proven conclusively their
proficiency in operating an amateur station properly with
those privileges. Then, in that instant of time, those
very privileges were withdrawn.




As the organization whose purpose is to promote cooperation
and friendship among amateur operators of at least 25 years
of service, the QCWA seeks a prompt ending of the injustice
being suffered by those within its constituency. The QCWA
is committed to promoting interest in the amateur service
and the advancement of the electronic art, making use of
the reservoir of knowledge and experience among the nearly
10,000 members of the QCWA for the benefit of all amateur
operators and the furtherance of the public welfare through
amateur service communications.
</blockquote>