FCC Won’t Say Publicly When it Will Act on Morse Code Issue

All bets appear to be off as to when the FCC might make a final decision on deleting the Morse code requirement. Last July, an FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making and Order (NPRM&O) in WT Docket 05-235 proposed to eliminate the Element 1 (5 WPM) Morse code requirement for all license classes. Most observers expected the Commission to release a Report and Order (R&O) to that effect by the end of this year, but even that timetable could prove optimistic, based on what the Commission will say publicly. Before tackling the Morse proceeding, the FCC wants to wrap up another important Amateur Radio proceeding, WT Docket 04-140, the so-called “omnibus” or “phone band expansion” proceeding. Responding to an ARRL inquiry, FCC personnel would not go on the record and declined even to hazard a ballpark guess on when the FCC might act on either Amateur Radio proceeding.

“They’re at different points in the process,” an FCC staffer said, refraining from saying anything that might suggest a commitment. “One is farther along in the review chain than the other.” The staff member indicated that the “omnibus” proceeding is “way ahead” of the Morse proceeding in the WTB pipeline. More Info