In a message dated 7/27/2005 1:07:19 PM Eastern Standard Time, n3kn@comcast.net writes:

I read in our web story on the NCVEC meeting the following discouraging paragraph:

"The FCC's Dorothy Conway spelled out some upcoming new procedures affecting new Amateur Radio applicants as well as VECs. Starting in September, she said, applicants will have to supply a Commission Registration System (CORES) password on their applications to a VEC before obtaining an FCC Registration Number (FRN). Conway, who's associate chief of Outreach Spectrum Management and Resource Technology Division in WTB, said the Commission is implementing the new policy because it wants to head off telephone calls from new licensees seeking their CORES passwords to file for vanity call signs. Typically, it has taken about three weeks for the FCC to mail passwords to new licensees."

If you register in CORES on line, you get your FRN immediately and you'll have the password in hand because you create it when you register. If you are not on the Internet and must register by U.S. mail, that's another story. All this will be so much fun for VE team captains to explain to wanna-be hams.

I am thinking about the 20 Boy Scouts I helped test last month at Radio Camp. Camp lasts one week. There is no Internet accces at the camp, so in the future it will be difficult to get all the children registered in CORES before exams are given on the last day of camp. One of the instructors will have to gather all the kids' data, register the children himself on line from his home, and bring the passwords to the kids back at camp to put on their 605's. All this is so some drones at Gettysburg won't have to answer the phone as much. More time to play FreeCell??

Irritated? You bet I am. If there are more impediments the FCC can throw in the road to discourage people from becoming radio amateurs, I hope they don't find out. They are doing way too well as it is.

73 - Kay N3KN

Kay, I just got this, so forgive me if it is a late response, but this raises some privacy issues, I think. If I understand the policies the VEC will for the first time have the passwords of all applicants who file through that VEC for an upgrade or a new license. This entitles the VEC to know the Social Security number of each person, and other data. I suppose that is nothing new, but having the password as well as the FRN seems to be a big step toward having the ARRL VEC for example accused of mishandling or disclosing an SSN or other information to permit identity theft. Am I wrong about this? Do the VECs already have this information some other way? Would I be entitled to prevent the VEC from having both my FRN and password if I wanted to and if the VEC was filing something for me? Chris