On 7 Jul 2003 14:21:15 GMT, Alun Palmer wrote:


We'll just have to think of something else to talk about. Besides, it's
not over yet. The FCC will likely have multiple petitions to look at. For
example, what happens to Techs? Should they all get Tech+ privileges?

In the short term, that's what I personally expect we will see. In the
long term, however, I think we will eventually have only two license
classes instead of the current three (one for VHF/UHF only privileges,
and one for full HF privileges in addition to that).

1. FCC remains under a congressional mandate to simplify regulations.
The easiest system for FCC to administer would be exactly what I have
outlined - either you have HF privileges or you don't.

2. Reading between the lines on the FCC's R&O WRT the last
restructuring of amateur license classes leads me to believe that the
commission would have preferred to do this in the first place but its
hands were tied by the international requirement that WRC just
removed. Absent that requirement now, FCC will be free to do what I
think it would have preferred to do four years ago.

73 DE John, KC2HMZ