FCC WRC-03 Amateur Rule Changes Now in Effect
NEWINGTON, CT, May 3, 2006--Several FCC Part 97 Amateur Radio rule
revisions to implement changes agreed to at the international level
during World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03) now are in
effect. The FCC Order, released in January, affects §97.111,
Authorized transmissions; §97.113, Prohibited transmissions; §97.115,
Third party communications, and §97.117, International communications.
The Federal Register published the changes May 3.

"These amendments will ensure that the Commission's Amateur Radio
Service rules conform to Article 25 of the international Radio
Regulations adopted at the 2003 World Radiocommunication Conference,
and will further the Commission's ongoing efforts to streamline its
Amateur Service Rules," the FCC Order said. "The overall effect of this
action is to update the Part 97 Amateur Radio Service rules in the Code
of Federal Regulations to conform to now-effective international
agreements."

The FCC Order revises:

§97.111(a)(1) to permit "transmissions necessary to exchange messages
with other stations in the Amateur Service, except those in any country
whose administration has notified the ITU that it objects to such
communications. The FCC will issue public notices of current
arrangements for international communications." The old language
permitted communication among amateur stations in different countries
"except those in any country whose administration has given notice that
it objects to such communications."

The FCC said the change does not prejudice its consideration of
comments to rule changes it's proposed to §97.111(a)(2) in WT Docket
04-140--the so-called "Omnibus" proceeding that covers a wide range of
rule changes and proposals. The Commission has proposed amending that
rule section to clarify that amateur stations may at all times and on
all authorized channels transmit communications necessary to meet
essential needs and to facilitate relief actions.


§97.115(a)(2) to facilitate the transmission of international
communications on behalf of third parties in emergency or
disaster-relief situations, whether or not a third-party agreement is
in place between the US and the countries involved. The revision now
permits communication with any non-US station "when transmitting
emergency or disaster relief communications" as well as with any non-US
station "whose administration has made arrangements with the United
States to allow amateur stations to be used for transmitting
international communications on behalf of third parties."

The revised rule further provides that no station may transmit
third-party traffic other than emergency or disaster relief
communications to a station whose government has not made a third-party
arrangement. Still excepted from the prohibition is any third party
eligible to be the control operator of an amateur station.


§97.113(a)(4) to prohibit amateur stations exchanging messages with
amateur stations in other countries from making transmissions that are
encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning, except for control
signals exchanged between Earth command stations and space stations in
the Amateur-Satellite service, something Part 97 already provides for.
The old rule referred to the use of "codes and ciphers."

The same rule also already prohibits transmitting music, communications
intended to facilitate a criminal act, obscene or indecent words or
language and false or deceptive messages, signals or identification.


§97.117 to state that amateur stations may transmit communications
incidental to the purposes of the Amateur Service and to remarks of a
personal character.

The FCC also revised §97.3 and 97.309 to update the definition of
International Morse code and of various digital codes in the amateur
rules to reflect changes in the Radio Regulations.

According to the FCC, the WRC-03 Final Acts revised the international
regulations that apply to the Amateur and the Amateur Satellite
services and became effective July 5, 2003. The Part 97 revisions that
become effective this week now bring the FCC's Amateur Service rules
into conformance with the international Radio Regulations.

wrote:
FCC WRC-03 Amateur Rule Changes Now in Effect
NEWINGTON, CT, May 3, 2006--Several FCC Part 97 Amateur Radio rule
revisions to implement changes agreed to at the international level
breifity cut
well nice to see the FCC find ome time for doing it job now for the
R&O we are all waiting for (some with gee other dread) on code testing
and maybe the fcc will finish dealing with the changes from 1 WRD
before the next one

an old fiend wrote:
wrote:
FCC WRC-03 Amateur Rule Changes Now in Effect
NEWINGTON, CT, May 3, 2006--Several FCC Part 97 Amateur Radio rule
revisions to implement changes agreed to at the international level

breifity cut

WTF is "breifity" and why did you cut it?

well nice to see the FCC find ome time for doing it job

Ooooooooooooooohhhh...!

Big deal!

They re-worded several paragraphs that made absolutely no change to
how we're conducting business already anyway...

now for the
R&O we are all waiting for (some with gee other dread)

Some with "gee"...?!?!? As In "gee whiz, this is getting
old..?!?!"

on code testing
and maybe the fcc will finish dealing with the changes from 1 WRD
before the next one

What's "1 WRD"...?!?!

Steve, K4YZ

K4YZ wrote:
an old fiend wrote:
wrote:
FCC WRC-03 Amateur Rule Changes Now in Effect
NEWINGTON, CT, May 3, 2006--Several FCC Part 97 Amateur Radio rule
revisions to implement changes agreed to at the international level

breifity cut

well nice to see the FCC find ome time for doing it job

Ooooooooooooooohhhh...!

Big deal!

They re-worded several paragraphs that made absolutely no change to
how we're conducting business already anyway...

what you failed to see is that I was pretty close to agrement with you

but you decided to hijack another thread to attack me and bb

why?


now for the
R&O we are all waiting for (some with gee other dread)

on code testing
and maybe the fcc will finish dealing with the changes from 1 WRD
before the next one

Steve, K4YZ