If the chart provided by Maria Somma survives the trip through cyberspace to your computer, you will see that the number of new FCC licenses issued continues to trend upward. Through the first seven months of 2009 it is running 7.7% ahead of last year, which – if this continues – will put the number at just over 30,000 for the year.

NEW FCC LICENSES       
ISSUED 2005 THROUGH JULY 2009  
Year    2005    2006    2007    2008    2009   
                                               
Jan     876     1,274   1,647   1,755   1,960  
Feb     1,357   1,605   2,435   2,998   2,263  
Mar     1,705   2,531   3,478   2,816   3,463  
Apr     1,486   1,728   2,673   3,090   3,430  
May     1,651   2,283   2,607   2,562   2,717  
June    1,493   1,967   2,281   2,402   3,011  
July    906     1,401   1,786   2,077   2,220  
Aug     1,500   1,623   2,183   2,084          
Sep     1,139   1,357   1,462   1,763          
Oct     1,385   1,781   2,109   2,303          
Nov     1,540   1,993   2,132   2,197          
Dec     1,330   1,569   1,935   2,019          
                                               
Totals  16,368  21,112  26,728  28,066  19,064 

New licensing is finally overcoming the inertia of the 10-year license term; according to Joe Speroni’s figures at www.ah0a.org, total licenses now in force are up by about 14,000 over a year ago, to more than 674,000. That’s not an all-time high, but another year of similar growth will put us there.

Dave K1ZZ