Amateur Service Examination Credit, Club Station Eligibility, Volunteer Examiner Manager, Special Event Call Sign System, and Station Identification Self-Assigned Indicator

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 97

[WT Docket No. 95-57; FCC 95-173]

Amateur Service Examination Credit, Club Station Eligibility,

Volunteer Examiner Manager, Special Event Call Sign System, and Station

Identification Self-Assigned Indicator

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend the amateur service rules to

allow former amateur operators to get amateur service licenses without

examination, to increase the minimum number of persons comprising an

organization eligible for a club station license, to recognize the role

of the volunteer examiner session manager, to establish a special event

vanity call sign system, and to provide licensees with greater

flexibility when making a station identification announcement. These

proposed rule amendments respond to the desires of some members of the

amateur community and provide them with the changes requested. The

proposals will provide amateur operators with greater flexibility in

the operation of their stations and also increase efficiency in the

administrative aspects of the service.

DATES: Comments are due on or before July 14, 1995. Reply comments are

due on or before August 14, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C. 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Maurice J. DePont, (202) 418-0690.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Notice

of Proposed Rule Making adopted April 25, 1995, and released May 8,

1995. The complete text of this Commission action, including the

proposed rule amendments, is available for inspection and copying

during normal business hours in the FCC Reference Center (Room 230),

1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. The complete text of this Notice

of Proposed Rule Making may also be ordered from the Commission's copy

contractor, International Transcription Services, [[Page 25662]] Inc.,

2100 M Street, N.W., Suite 140, Washington, D.C. 20037, telephone (202)

857-3800.

Summary of Notice of Proposed Rule Making

1. The proposed rule changes respond to petitions filed by The

American Radio Relay League, Inc. and the National Conference of

Volunteer-Examiner Coordinators. They also include proposals made by

the Commission on its own motion.

2. Rules changes are proposed that would authorize administering

volunteer examiners (VEs) to give examination element credit for any

amateur service examination that an applicant had previously passed in

obtaining the former license.

3. In addition, we propose to increase the eligibility requirement

for an amateur service club station license to four persons. This

proposal would assist in ensuring that radio clubs are groups of

persons organized in good faith.

4. We also propose to amend the rules to recognize the role of the

VE session manager as the person who plans, keeps records, organizes,

and supervises the activities of the administering VEs at each amateur

service examination session. Examination efficiency is the goal of this

proposed rule change.

5. We further propose to establish a special event vanity call sign

system. Under such system, a one-by-one call sign could be requested by

amateur operators for temporary operation of their stations during

events that are of special significance to the amateur service

community. The special event vanity call sign could be used for 15 days

or for the duration of the event, whichever is less.

6. Our final proposal in this proceeding would allow the use of

self-assigned indicators in the station identification. They could be

used before, after, or both before and after the assigned call sign.

This proposal will provide the amateur service community with greater

flexibility when making the station identification.

7. Comments are invited on these proposals.

8. The proposed rules are set forth at the end of this document.

9. This is a non-restricted notice and comment rule making

proceeding. Ex parte presentations are permitted, except during the

Sunshine Agenda period, provided they are disclosed as specified in the

Commission's Rules. See generally 47 CFR 1.1202, 1.203, and 1.1206(a).

10. In accordance with Section 605(b) of the Regulatory Flexibility

Act of 1980, 5 USC 605(b), the Commission certifies that the proposed

rule amendments will not create a significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small business entities because the amateur

stations involved would not be authorized to transmit any

communications where the station licensee or control operator has a

pecuniary interest.

11. The proposal contained herein has been analyzed with respect to

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, and found to

contain no new or modified form, information collection and/or record

retention requirements, and will not increase or decrease burden hours

imposed on the public.

12. This Notice of Proposed Rule Making and the proposed rule

amendments are issued under the authority of Sections 4(f)(4)(B) and

(i), and 303(a), (l)(1) and (r) of the Communications Act of 1934, as

amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(f)(4)(B) and (i), and 303(a), (l)(1) and (r).

13. A copy of this Notice of Proposed Rule Making will be forwarded

to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 97

Call signs, Club stations, Examinations, Radio, Station

identification, Volunteer examiners.

Federal Communications Commission.

William F. Caton,

Acting Secretary.

Proposed Rules

Part 97 of Chapter I of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations

is proposed to be amended as follows:

PART 97--AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE

1. The authority citation for Part 97 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 48 Stat. 1066, 1082, as amended; 47 U.S.C. 154, 303.

Interpret or apply 48 Stat. 1064-1068, 1081-1105, as amended; 47

U.S.C. 151-155, 301-609, unless otherwise noted.

2. In Sec. 97.3, paragraph (a)(11)(ii) is redesignated as paragraph

(a)(11)(iii), and new paragraphs (a)(11)(ii) and (a)(47) are added to

read as follows:

Sec. 97.3 Definitions.

* * * * *

(a) * * *

(11) * * *

(i) * * *

(ii) Special event call sign system. The call sign is selected by

the FCC from a list of call signs requested by the licensee. The call

sign is shown on the request. It is temporarily substituted for the

call sign shown on the license while the station is transmitting in

conjunction with an event of special significance to the amateur

service community.

* * * * *

(47) VE session manager. The VE designated by the administering VEs

to plan, organize, keep records, and directly supervise the activities

of other VEs at a session where examinations for amateur operator

licenses are administered.

* * * * *

3. Section 97.5(b)(2) is revised to read as follows:

Sec. 97.5 Station license required.

* * * * *

(b) * * *

(2) A club station license. A club station license is granted only

to the person who is the license trustee designated by an officer of

the club. The trustee must be a person who has been granted an Amateur

Extra, Advanced, General, Technician Plus, or Technician operator

license. The club must be composed of at least four persons and must

have a name, a document of organization, management, and a primary

purpose devoted to amateur service activities consistent with this

Part. The club station license document is printed on FCC Form 660.

* * * * *

4. In Sec. 97.19, the heading and paragraph (a) are revised and new

paragraph (e) is added to read as follows:

Sec. 97.19 Application for a vanity call sign or a special event

station call sign.

(a) A person who has been granted an operator/primary station

license or a license trustee who has been granted a club station

license is eligible to make application for modification of the

license, or the renewal thereof, to show a call sign selected by the

vanity call sign system or the special event station call sign system.

RACES and military recreation stations are not eligible for a vanity

call sign or a special event station call sign.

* * * * *

(e) Each request for a special event station call sign must be

received at the FCC, 1270 Fairfield Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325-7245 at

least 120 days prior to the special event.

(1) The request must include:

(i) The licensee's name, address, and primary station call sign.

(ii) A signed statement indicating the nature of the event and

certifying that it is of special significance to the amateur service

community.

(iii) The time period during which the special event station will

operate. In no [[Page 25663]] case will the period exceed that of the

special event, or 15 days, whichever occurs first.

(iv) A list from the person making the request of one-by-one format

call signs, in order of preference.

(2) The first assignable call sign from the list will be indicated

on the request, that call sign will be stamped GRANTED, and a copy of

the list showing the call sign granted will be returned to the person

making the request. The call sign will be selected from those call

signs assignable at the time the request is processed by the FCC.

5. Section 97.119(c) is revised to read as follows:

Sec. 97.119 Station identification.

* * * * *

(c) One or more indicators may be included with the call sign. Each

indicator must be separated from the call sign by the slant mark (/) or

by any suitable word that denotes the slant mark. If an indicator is

self-assigned, it must be included before, after, or both before and

after, the call sign. No self-assigned indicator may conflict with any

other indicator specified in this section or with any prefix assigned

to another country.

* * * * *

6. Section 97.505 is amended by redesignating paragraph (a)(10) as

paragraph (a)(11) and adding new paragraph (a)(10) to read as follows:

Sec. 97.505 Element credit.

(a) * * *

(10) An expired FCC-issued amateur operator license: The least

elements required for the operator license formerly held. No

examination credit will be given if the operator license was suspended

for the remainder of the license term, if the operator license was

surrendered to avoid enforcement proceedings, or if the operator

license expired following revocation of the associated station license.

Examination credit, however, will be given if the suspension period of

the operator license was subsequently modified to denote a lesser time

period.

* * * * *

7. Section 97.509(a) is revised to read as follows:

Sec. 97.509 Administering VE requirements.

(a) Each examination element for an amateur operator license must

be administered by a least 3 administering VEs at an examination

session. There must be VE session manager who is in attendance during

the entire session.

* * * * *

8. New Sec. 97.515 is added to read as follows:

Sec. 97.515 VE session manager requirements.

(a) The VE session manager must be accredited as a VE by the same

VEC that coordinates the examination session.

(b) Before each examination session, the VE session manager must

make a public announcement stating the location and the time of the

session. The number of examinees may be limited.

(c) The VE session manager is responsible for supervising the

activities of the administering VEs and the conduct of the examinees.

The VE Manager may serve concurrently as an administering VE.

(d) The VE session manager must maintain a log for the session. The

log must include the names of the examinees, the names of the

administering VEs, and the examination elements administered by each

VE.

[FR Doc. 95-11761 Filed 5-11-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712-01-M