Written by: Kent Petty, KL5T, Chairman, Anchorage ARC VEC
Date: April 1, 2022
The FCC contacted Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs) today with additional guidance and clarification regarding the upcoming ULS Application Fees effective April 19, 2022. They addressed several questions VECs presented during a meeting held with VEC last week.
The following items are noteworthy:
1. The submission response files provided to VECs will indeed have an indicator that confirms to the VEC that the application was indeed submitted successfully and that the application is pending payment from the applicant.
2. There will be NO FEES implemented at this time for modification applications. This includes changes to contact information such as addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, or even name changes, AND most importantly, NO FEES for LICENSE UPGRADES.
3. Applicants have 10 days to make electronic payment to the FCC when an application number is created due to a filing. If no payment, that application will be DISMISSED. What is the impact? Applicants will not receive a license. If they approach a VEC within 365 days with their Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE), that VEC could work with the applicant to complete a new form 605 and make a new submission to the FCC. Alternatively, the applicant could retake and pass the exam(s) if they didn’t have a CSCE, or, if the CSCE was more than 365 days old, they would HAVE to retake the exam(s).
4. When will applicants receive the e-mail from the FCC after the File Number is assigned? The FCC stated that if the application is received by them during a weekday (basically Monday mornings through Friday evenings – exact times are not clear), the e-mail will be sent to the applicant as soon as the response file is sent to the VECs. If the application is received by the FCC on the weekend, the e-mail to the applicants will be generated on Monday following the weekend.
5. There was no specific information provided by the FCC stating when a callsign would actually be issued following payment from an applicant. It appears we will need to wait and see. We have submitted a request to the FCC for clarification.
We will provide additional information if/when it becomes available.
