UPDATE OF FCC LICENSING FEES

The FCC has released their final Report and Order increasing the Amateur Radio License fee to $35 from the current $15 fee (see pages 11-16 for the relevant info). This will apply to all new license applications, as well as renewals, vanity call requests, etc. This will NOT take effect immediately, but will take effect after it is published in the Federal Register and the FCC has put in place the administrative structure for the licensing. So if you’re thinking of getting your first ham ticket or upgrading, NOW is the time before the fee increase takes effect. Interestingly, this same rulemaking REDUCES the current GMRS License fee from $70 to $35, so once this becomes effective it may be a good time to add a GMRS license to your shack.