A few days ago I received my FCC radio station authorization from the FCC. It was a long process… I tried to fill out the application myself, but in the end I had to hire a consultant (Bill Ruck) to make sure that I’d done it correctly. He said I’d gotten it almost right… just a little bit was missing at the very end.
Unfortunately, it came in with a very short life… the expiration date is listed as 08-01-2013, giving it a total lifespan of two months. Thanks, FCC. (I understand I’m not the only person this has happened to, but I’m pretty sure that there’s not much I can do about it… all licenses in a given area expire at the same time, so I just happened to have bad timing.)
Fortunately, renewal isn’t nearly as difficult or expensive as the original application… and of course, a renewal notice came in today’s mail. Ten minutes and sixty dollars later, and my renewal is submitted. Once this gets processed, I should be legal for a long time. UPDATE- My new station license came in about a week after sending in the renewal form… expiration date 8/01/2021. It may last longer than I do.
The main reason that I wanted my FCC license was simply to be counted as a legal user of the wireless spectrum. This is even more important now that the FCC has announced their intention to take away the 600 MHz band like they did with the 700 and above. This is going to take A LOT of letters to congress, so if you’re a wireless mic user, start your drafts now.
BGilbertSound 