[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 92 (Friday, May 12, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 25661-25663]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-11761]



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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.

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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