03/24/2022

A Public Notice released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on
March 23, 2022, in MD Docket No. 20-270[1], announced that new application fees
for Wireless Telecommunications Bureau applications will become effective on
April 19, 2022. The new fees, mandated by Congress, apply to applications for
Amateur Radio licenses including those associated with filing Form 605, the
Amateur Operator/Primary Station Licensee Application.

Effective April 19, 2022, a $35 fee will apply to applications for a new
Amateur Radio license, modification (upgrade and sequential call sign change),
renewal, and vanity call signs.

Anticipating the implementation of the fee in 2022, the ARRL Board of
Directors, at its July 2021 meeting, approved the "ARRL Youth Licensing Grant
Program[2]." Under the program, ARRL will cover a one-time $35 application fee
for license candidates younger than 18 years old for tests administered under
the auspices of the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC). Qualified
candidates also would pay a reduced exam session fee of $5 to the ARRL VEC.
ARRL is finalizing details for administering the program.

ARRL had filed comments in opposition to imposing a fee on Amateur Radio
license applications. The FCC initially proposed a higher, $50 fee. In a Report
and Order (R&O), released on December 29, 2020, the amount was reduced -- the
FCC agreeing with ARRL and other commenters that its proposed $50 fee for
certain amateur radio applications was "too high to account for the minimal
staff involvement in these applications."

ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM,
explained that all fees are per application. "There will be no fee for
administrative updates, such as a change of mailing or email address. The fees
will be the responsibility of the applicant regardless of filing method and
must be paid within 10 calendar days of FCC's receipt of the application. For
applications filed by a VEC, the period does not begin until the application is
received by the Commission, a ULS file number assigned, and an email sent by
the FCC directly to the applicant."

VECs and Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams will not collect the $35 fee at license
exam sessions. New and upgrade candidates at an exam session will continue to
pay the $15 exam session fee to the ARRL VE team as usual, and pay the new, $35
application fee directly to the FCC by using the CORES FRN Registration system
(CORES - Login[3]).

When the FCC receives the examination information from the VEC, it will email a
link with payment instructions to each successful candidate who then will have
10 calendar days from the date of the email to pay. After the fee is paid and
the FCC has processed an application, examinees will receive a second email
from the FCC with a link to their official license or explanation of other
action. The link will be good for 30 days.

Somma also explained that applications that are processed and dismissed will
not be entitled to a refund. This includes vanity call sign requests where the
applicant does not receive the requested call sign. "The FCC staff has
suggested that applicants for vanity call signs should first ensure the call
signs requested are available and eligible for their operator class and area,
and then request as many call signs as the form allows to maximize their
chances of receiving a call sign."

Further information and instructions about the FCC Application Fee are
available from the ARRL VEC at www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee[4]. Details for
the ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program will be similarly posted there, when
available.

[1] https://www.fcc.gov/document/effective-date-wireless-application-fee-rates
[2] https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-establishes-program-to-cover-initial-fcc-license-fee-for-young-applicants
[3] https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do
[4] http://www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee

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