This is the latest information I have received: ARRL Seeks Partial Reconsideration of Restructuring R&O The ARRL will seek partial reconsideration on two points in the Amateur Radio license restructuring plan announced by the FCC December 30. Both points involve the way the plan deals with Technician-class licensees. The new FCC rules go into effect April 15. The League will ask the FCC to continue to maintain records that indicate whether a Technician licensee has passed a Morse code exam to earn Novice/Tech Plus HF privileges. Under the current system, the license class of Technicians is designated by a ''T'' in the FCC's amateur database, and of Tech Plus licensees by a ''P.'' Under the FCC's restructuring plan, Technician and Tech Plus licensees will all be known simply as ''Technician.'' The ARRL asserts the change will eliminate any easy way to tell which licensees have passed the Morse code exam and which have not. ''We're going to try to persuade the FCC that it made a drastic error in deciding to change all those Ps back to Ts in the database,'' said ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ. The FCC has said that it would be up to Technician licensees, if asked, to prove that they have successfully passed the 5 WPM code test. The ARRL plans to ask the FCC to stipulate that any amateur who provides proof of having passed an FCC-recognized Morse code exam prior to April 15 would be entitled to receive credit for the Morse code exam element when applying for future upgrades. The FCC has indicated to the ARRL that after April 15, code credit for Technician applicants passing the 5 WPM test would not survive beyond the 365-day term of a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination--or CSCE. Under both the present and new rules, anyone who held a Technician license before February 14, 1991, has permanent credit for the Morse code element, but others do not. The ARRL Board of Directors approved a motion to file the Petition for Partial Reconsideration at its January 22 meeting in Memphis.

This is interesting Marci, I was wondering about the new rules governing upgrades from General to Advanced or Extra. Have the code requirements been waived in favor of a question pool?

Not sure. Let me check into that. I recall hearing something about it. Your cw question is regarding upgrades? Rather than novice class? I have heard most unhappily that cw requirements are down to 5 words/mminute. Be prepared for some serious QLF...!

Question Pool Committee Eyes February 1 Release Date A revised Amateur Radio question pool that reflects the April 15, 2000, restructuring rules could be out by February 1. Chairman Ray Adams, W4CPA, of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators' Question Pool Committee says workable question pools for the new Technician, General and Amateur Extra written exams will be made public by February 1 or ''very shortly thereafter.'' Adams says that a Technician class syllabus already has been drafted and approved. The various QPC members have been keeping in touch by telephone and e-mail since the FCC announced the restructuring rules December 30. Adams says that the QPC plans to further refine and update the newly configured pools in the future, after it has an opportunity to meet and formulate a plan. He said the revised question pools will follow the established format. After April 15, 2000, the FCC will only issue Technician, General, and Amateur Extra class licenses. Novice and Advanced licensees will retain current operating privileges and may renew indefinitely. Applicants desiring HF privileges will only have to pass a 5 WPM Morse code test. Current Amateur Radio study materials remain valid at least until the new rules become effective in April. There are four examination elements in the new licensing system. Element 1 is the 5 WPM Morse code test; Element 2 is a 35-question Technician test; Element 3 is a 35-question General test, and Element 4 is a 50-question Amateur Extra test. Frequently Asked Questions and other information on restructuring is available on the ARRL Web site.

I read this on http://www.qrz.com/callsign.html?inc=column_000117b On December 30, 1999 the FCC announced the new 5 WPM for everybody rule. Coincidentally, the QRZ web server is experiencing record traffic loads in its online exam testing section from people who are eager to upgrade. This will no doubt result in a surge of HF activity later this summer, just in time to catch the peak of the rest of the current sunspot cycle. I'm loathe to predict however, that this will be the last big surge in ham radio popularity. I say this because after this sunspot cycle fades and until it returns 11 years from now, the internet, satellite communications, cell phones and wireless handheld networking devices will have captured every last young, bright and hip person on the planet. To them, analog ham radio will have the high-tech sex appeal of a rotary dial telephone.

This is interesting Marci, I was wondering about the new rules governing upgrades from General to Advanced or Extra. Have the code requirements been waived in favor of a question pool?

Response 6 was not reposted intentionally, it was caused when I left my browser window open and refreshed the page a day later.

Amazing how that can happen, no? We all seem to have it happen from time to time if we post enough times!

Revised question pools now available The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators Question Pool Committee has released revised Amateur Radio examination question pools into the public domain. The revised questions, covering the new Elements 2, 3 and 4 that become effective April 15, 2000, now are available on the ARRL web site at http://www.arrl.org. The QPC anticipates that the Element 4 question pool will remain valid until June 30, 2002, the Element 3 question pool until June 30, 2003, and the Element 3 question pool until June 30, 2004. QPC Chairman Ray Adams, W4CPA, says the five-digit numbering system used in past question pools continues to be used in the new question pools. Graphics have been integrated. Minor revisions still are possible. Current Novice, Technician, Advanced and Amateur Extra graphic sheets remain available and valid. Examinations for the new Elements 2 and 3 will contain 35 questions; examinations for the new Element 4 contain 50 questions.

Amateur Radio Spectrum Bill Introduced in Senate The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act bill now has supporting legislation in the US Senate. Idaho Sen Michael Crapo has introduced a bill that mirrors the house bill, HR 783. The Senate measure has been designated S 2183. ''In introducing this bill, we want to do something for Amateur Radio in return for all the good it has done the people of Idaho and elsewhere in the US by providing a reliable means of backup communication in times of emergency,'' Crapo said. He also pledged to promote the bill in the Senate. Like the House version, the Senate bill, if enacted, would require the FCC to provide equivalent replacement spectrum should it ever be necessary to reallocate Amateur Radio frequencies for some other purpose. The new Senate legislation was introduced with bipartisan co-sponsorship from Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-AR), Bob Smith (R-NH) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). The bill's introduction comes on the heels of a visit to Capitol Hill by the recently elected ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, and First Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN. So far, the House version of the spectrum bill has drawn bipartisan support, with 140 cosponsors to date, and has met with no opposition. However, Congress, and the all-important House and Senate Commerce committees, have been preoccupied with non-telecommunications matters and the Amateur Spectrum Protection Act has not yet moved out of committee. The new Senate bill provides additional motivation for the Congress to consider the legislation. NNNN

US Appeals Court Upholds RF Exposure Regulations The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has upheld the FCC's 1996 RF exposure guidelines. The court also turned away a challenge to the FCC's exclusive ability to regulate relevant radio facility operations. The wide-ranging challenge was brought by the Cellular Phone Taskforce joined by other petitioners including the Communications Workers of America. In an opinion released February 18, the three-judge panel upheld the FCC against the challenges on all points. The petitioners, in part, had claimed the FCC failed to account for non-thermal effects of RF radiation, didn't evaluate new evidence, failed to get expert testimony, and failed to account for ''scientific uncertainty'' about RF exposure in deciding to not lower the maximum permissible exposure levels below the maximum permitted thermal levels. The petitioners also faulted the FCC for adopting a two-tiered MPE level system that allows for higher exposure in ''occupational/controlled'' situations than in ''general population/uncontrolled'' situations. Additionally, the Appeals Court: * said the FCC was not irrational, arbitrary or capricious in its decision and that it did not ignore ''substantial comments'' from experts. * noted that licensees are still responsible for compliance ''and an interested person can petition the FCC for review of a site believed to violate the MPE levels.'' * disagreed that an environmental impact statement was required from the FCC. * rejected the petitioners' arguments that by not considering RF interference with medical devices, the FCC failed to take a hard look at the environmental consequences of its actions. * rejected arguments that the FCC did not enjoy broad preemption authority over state or local government under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to regulate wireless service facilities. ARRL RF Safety Committee Chairman Greg Lapin, N9GL, credits the FCC with being comprehensive in developing its RF safety regulations and thinks the Appeals Court did the right thing. ''The FCC is not a health and safety organization, and the Commission never intended the rules to serve as a standard,'' Lapin said. Lapin pointed out that the FCC's rules are based on accepted American National Standards Institute/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements standards, ''which, in turn, are based on mountains of research and the opinions of lots of experts,'' he said. The resulting rules take into account a consensus of expert opinion on the topic of RF safety. ''The appeals court recognized this in its decision,'' Lapin said. NNNN

League Files Partial Reconsideration Petition on Restructuring The ARRL has formally asked the FCC to reconsider and modify two aspects of its December 30, 1999, Report and Order that restructured the Amateur Radio rules. The League wants the FCC to continue to maintain records that indicate whether a Technician licensee has Morse code element credit. It also seeks permanent Morse element credit for any Amateur Radio applicant who has ever passed an FCC-recognized Morse exam of at least 5 WPM. The League filed a Petition for Partial Reconsideration in the WT Docket 98-143 proceeding on March 13. The League suggested that it would be less of an administrative burden for the FCC to maintain the Technician database as it has been doing. The database now identifies Technician and Tech Plus licensees by encoding the records with a ''T'' or a ''P'' respectively. The ARRL also said the inability to identify those Technicians that have HF privileges and those who do not could hamper voluntary enforcement efforts. It further suggested it would be wrong to put the burden of proof of having passed the Morse examination on licensees. The League cited the demands of fairness in asking the FCC to afford Morse element credit to all applicants who have ever passed an FCC-recognized 5 WPM code exam. The rules already grant Element 1 credit to those holding an expired or unexpired FCC-issued Novice license or an expired or unexpired Technician Class operator license document granted before February 14, 1991. It also grants Element 1 credit to applicants possessing an FCC-issued commercial radiotelegraph operator license or permit that's valid or expired less than 5 years. The League has asked the FCC to ''conform the rules'' to give similar credit to those who once held General, Advanced or Amateur Extra class licenses.

ARRL Bulletin 18: PRB-1 Bill Introduced in New York A bill has been introduced in the New York State Assembly to codify the essence of the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1 in New York State law. Assembly bill A. 9947 would require localities to ''reasonably accommodate'' Amateur Radio antennas and would prevent localities from restricting antenna structures to less than 95 feet above ground level or from restricting the number of support structures. ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, says the bill represents two years of work by his Hudson Division PRB-1 Task Force, which spearheaded the bill's development as well as a strategy to get it enacted. The Task Force used other successful state PRB-1 bills as models and had assistance from ARRL Headquarters. Fallon said the bill has the support of his staff and all three Hudson Division ARRL section managers. Support also has been obtained from Atlantic Division section managers in New York, and plans are under way for a statewide promotional effort. The bill, introduced March 7, is in the Committee on Local Governments, which must vote on the measure before it goes to the full Assembly. Assuming the measure makes it past both chambers, it would go to Gov George Pataki--a former amateur--for his signature. Echoing the PRB-1 language, it would provide that any ordinance impacting the placement, screening or height of antennas ''must reasonably accommodate Amateur Radio antennas and shall impose the minimum regulation necessary to accomplish the political subdivision's legitimate purpose.'' The bill also would prohibit any local ordinance, by-law, rule or regulation, or other local law from restricting Amateur Radio support structure height to less than 95 feet above ground level or from restricting the number of antenna support structures. Fallon is urging clubs and individuals to contact their New York State lawmakers--Assembly and Senate--to cosponsor or support A.

FCC Puts CORES and FRN on Hold The FCC has delayed the implementation of the FCC's agency-wide Commission Registration System (CORES) and the issuance of an FCC Registration Number (FRN) to each licensee. The new system, which would supplant Universal Licensing System (ULS) registration for Wireless Telecommunications Bureau-administered licensees, was to have gone into effect next Monday, March 27. The FCC said it plans to soon issue a new Public Notice ''clarifying certain issues about the new program and providing a new effective date for implementation.'' CORES registration is expected to replace ULS registration within a year. Information provided to the ARRL by FCC officials indicates that a new CORES registration form will take the place of the ULS Registration Form 606 when the new system goes on-line. Once in place, CORES will assign a new 10-digit FCC Registration Number, or FRN, which will replace the Licensee ID Numbers now issued by ULS for WTB licensees. The ULS covers Wireless Telecommunications Bureau licensees and applicants. It became effective for the Amateur Service last August.

VECs Struggle with Paperwork Mountain - May 12, 2000 Despite an infusion of temporary help, Volunteer Examiner Coordinators continue struggling to process the huge influx of exam session paperwork resulting from Amateur Radio restructuring. ARRL-VEC and W5YI-VEC continue to estimate that it is taking from three to four weeks from exam session to license grant. ARRL-VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, and his staff have been putting in a lot of overtime and weekend hours. Fred Maia, W5YI, cites a similar situation at his W5YI-VEC. ''We've got mail buckets everywhere,'' he said. Jahnke and Maia say processing is proceeding as fast as possible. They urge amateur applicants to refrain from contacting either their respective VECs or the FCC to inquire as to the progress of individual applications. Applicants wishing to file a vanity call sign application or to upgrade their Volunteer Examiner status cannot do so without a license grant from the FCC reflecting the applicant's upgraded class. In a few cases, applicants are awaiting first-time amateur licenses and do not even have interim operating authority. Jahnke says the ARRL-VEC has caught up with the paperwork backlog from pre-April 15 test sessions. The ARRL-VEC served nearly 35,800 applicants between January 1 and April 14. It continues to deal with the nearly 16,000 applications logged in from April 15 through April 25. Jahnke points out that while VE teams have 10 days to ship session paperwork, transit times can be as long as a week. Once keyed in and sent on electronically to the FCC, most applications are granted overnight. Jahnke says the care ARRL-VEC takes in checking VE session paperwork and applications for ''completeness, accuracy and integrity'' pays off in avoiding problems down the road. Statistics to date suggest a total of more than 13,000 new Generals and more than 10,000 new Extra class hams as a result of restructuring.