SB QST @ ARL $ARLB035
ARLB035 FCC won't reconsider
 
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QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 35  ARLB035
>From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  April 5, 1995
To all radio amateurs 
 
SB QST ARL ARLB035
ARLB035 FCC won't reconsider
 
FCC won't reconsider
 
The FCC has denied a petition for reconsideration to change the
structure of Amateur Radio licensing in the US.
 
Rolf Jespersen, N3LA, had petitioned the FCC to establish three
classes of amateur operator license, a petition the Commission
denied in April 1994 (RM-8391).
 
Jespersen then petitioned for reconsideration, saying that
supporters of his position did not know when to file supporting
comments and that telegraphy ''ability,'' not necessarily telegraphy
''proficiency,'' should be the criterion for the class of operator
license obtained.  He also said that his suggested new rules would
promote growth in the amateur community and reduce delays in
obtaining new and upgraded licenses.
 
The FCC said that Jespersen's original petition was denied because
there was insufficient evidence to justify revisiting the issues he
raised, and that no comments had been filed on his petition.
 
The FCC said that it had revisited the structure of the amateur
service on several occasions, the latest being in 1990, when the
codeless Technician class license was established ''and the amateur
community confirmed its preference of preserving telegraphy as an
examination requirement for the remaining operator license classes.
 
''The amateur service community in the United States generally
considers the current telegraphy speed requirements as necessary and
appropriate,'' the FCC said.
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