FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 March 24, 2009 DA 09-662 Mr. Thomas J. Baldwin 116 Wade Circle Anaheim, CA 92807 Re: Petition for rulemaking Dear Mr. Baldwin: This is in response to the petition you filed on January 23, 2008 requesting that the Commission revise the rules for the Amateur Radio Service.1 Specifically, you request that the Commission amend Section 97.103(c) of its Rules2 to require amateur radio licensees to post their original license document at the operating position for the licensee’s station.3 For the reasons set forth below, we deny the petition. Formerly, the Commission’s Rules required that the original amateur license be retained at the licensee’s station, and that the license (or a photocopy thereof) be in the licensee’s possession whenever the licensee operated.4 These requirements were eliminated in 1994, when the rules were amended to authorize operation of an amateur station on the basis of the licensee data appearing in the amateur service licensee database.5 This change was made in order to eliminate the delay (caused by printing, mailing, and delivery) between the time a license is granted and the time that the licensee may begin to operate.6 Another reason for the rule change was that it is no longer necessary to require the license document to be immediately available because a licensee’s authorization now can be confirmed by the information in the licensing database.7 We conclude that you have not presented grounds for the Commission to require amateur service licensees to post their licenses. Your proposal does not address the reasons for removing the original requirements, or demonstrate that circumstances have changed. With respect to your suggestion that posting of amateur license documents would clearly prove a licensee’s authority and "inject a bit of professionalism into the service,"8 we note that there is no rule that prevents licensees from posting their license should they so desire. Moreover, the Commission’s Universal Licensing Service database is available on the Commission's internet website,9 and the information in the database is available through 1 Petition by Thomas J. Baldwin (filed January 23, 2008) (Petition). 2 47 C.F.R. § 97.103(c). 3 See Petition at 1. 4 See 47 C.F.R. §§ 97.5(e), 97.9(a) (1993). 5 See Amendment of the Amateur Service Rules to Change Procedures for Filing an Amateur Service License Application and to Make Other Procedural Changes, Order, 9 FCC Rcd 6111 (PRB 1994). 6 See id. at 6111 ¶ 3. 7 See id. at 6111 n.10. 8 See Petition at 2-3. 9 See http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchLicense.jsp. Thomas J. Baldwin 2. many other databases and in other media.10 We conclude, therefore, that the petition presents no evidence of an existing problem or other evidence meriting a rule change. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that, pursuant to Section 4(i) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. § 154(i), and Section 1.401(e) of the Commission’s Rules, 47 C.F.R. § 1.401(e), the petition for rulemaking filed January 23, 2008 by Thomas J. Baldwin IS DENIED. This action is taken under delegated authority pursuant to Sections 0.131 and 0.331 of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 0.131 and 0.331. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Scot Stone Deputy Chief, Mobility Division Wireless Telecommunications Bureau 10 See, e.g., www.qrz.com, http://hamcall.net/call, www.arrl.org.