Ham News

According to the FCC Report and Order released December 29, 2020, Amateur Radio license fees will now cost $35. This same fee will apply to new licenses, renewal licenses, and vanity call signs. Previously, no fees were collected for ham licenses or vanity call signs issued to amateur radio operators, so technically it is a significant change. However, it is considerably less than the $50 fees originally proposed by the Commission, so it should be of some comfort to hams.

On the brighter side, a GMRS license will now cost significantly less than before. Up to now the application fee for a GMRS license was $70. With this Report and Order, the new GMRS license fee will be only $35, which is $15 less than the proposed fee and half the cost of the fees previously charged by the FCC. The license is still valid for 10 years and covers an entire family.