SB QST @ ARL $ARLB044
ARLB044 Electronic vanity applications flood Gate 3

ZCZC AG44
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ARRL Bulletin 44  ARLB044
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  August 8, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB044
ARLB044 Electronic vanity applications flood Gate 3

Gate 3 vanity filers flooded the FCC with nearly 1200 electronic and
only around 300 paper applications Wednesday. The disparity was in
apparent reaction to the FCC*s announcement last month that it would
give priority in processing to electronically filed vanity
applications. But the actual number of electronic filers could be far
less than the 1182 the FCC received on August 6. FCC officials in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, believe that many hams filed more than one
electronic application.

Whatever the final tally, the number of first-day Gate 3 applications
was far fewer than the more than 3600 that showed up on the opening
day of Gate 2.

The FCC will not begin to process the applications until the 10-day
deadline to receive the 30 dollar(s) application fee has passed. Only
applications for which a fee has been paid will be processed.

To clear the decks in anticipation of processing the Gate 3
applications, FCC personnel in Gettysburg have been making nearly
daily runs of vanity applications that arrived prior to the opening
of Gate 3 on August 6. As of August 8, the FCC had processed vanity
applications received through July 11.

The FCC is not expected to begin processing the Gate 3 applications
until mid-month at the earliest.

The vanity application fee increases to 50 dollar(s) on September 15. The 
FCC
has not announced when it plans to open Gate 4.
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