On Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:57:08 EDT, Paul W. Schleck
" wrote:

The main criticism of Fred seemed to have been about his for-profit
business, offering to file FCC paperwork for a fee, which can be
submitted for free. Fee-based assistance with filing free applications
with the government was not unique with Fred, nor unique to amateur
radio, and was strictly legal. However, I can see how it rubbed some
amateurs the wrong way.

ARRL also charges a fee to renew licenses of non-ARRL-members.

I am an ARRL/VEC accredited VE. If someone comes to one of my
sessions and asks us to renew his license (without taking any exams),
we have to charge him a fee. However, I tell him to save his money,
and that after the session I will help him to renew his license online
for free.

As I am the team leader for the ARRL/VEC exam team in my town, my name
and phone number is on all the publicity for the exams, and I have
become the go-to guy for anyone in my town who has a problem with
licenses. If I can't help them fix it, I usually can find out how.

Dick Grady, AC7EL
Team Leader and Liaison of the Pahrump, NV VE Team