Department of Industry Act, S.C. 1995, c.1
Radiocommunication Act
Notice No. DGRB-002-00 — Radio Authorization Fee for the Assignment of Certain Call Signs in the Amateur Radio Service
Introduction
The operation of radio apparatus in the amateur radio service is for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication or technical investigation by individuals who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.
Radio amateur operators enjoy communicating worldwide with other amateurs, experimenting with slow scan TV and pioneering innovative communication techniques such as packet radio. Amateurs often volunteer valuable community services by providing communications at various charity and sporting events or during disaster relief operations.
Over the years, officials of the Department have worked with radio amateurs and organizations such as Radio Amateurs of Canada Inc. (RAC) to foster the development of the service. As part of this effort, the Department consulted with the amateur community to develop a proposal to streamline the current authorization procedures that permit qualified individuals to operate in the amateur radio service.
On May 14, 1999, Industry Canada issued a consultation document, entitledDiscussion Paper: Streamlining the Authorization Process for the Amateur Radio Service (Gazette Notice DGRB-004-99). This document set out a proposal to modify the administration of the amateur radio service by removing the requirements to hold a radio licence thereby making the Amateur Radio Operator Certificate the sole authorization document. Under the proposal, call signs used to identify an operator's station would continue to be issued under the call sign policy but associated with the certificate rather than the radio licence. The Department also invited comments on a proposal to charge a fee of $60.00 for user initiated transactions related to call signs.
This one-time fee will be charged:
- to change an existing call sign (including changing to a two-letter call sign);
- to issue a call sign to a club or other organization;
- to issue an additional call sign to an individual; and
- to issue a special event call sign or a special prefix.
There will be no fee charged for the grandfathering ("registration") of existing call signs assigned to individuals or clubs or the use of call sign extensions to designate multiple station locations. Moreover, a fee will not be charged:
- to issue the initial call sign with the Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with the Basic Qualification;
- to issue a replacement certificate due to loss or damage;
- to issue a replacement call sign with a new prefix, due to a change in address to a new province or territory; and
- to issue a certificate as a result of an additional qualification such as 5 words per minute (w.p.m), 12 w.p.m. or Advanced.
In response to this consultation, 24 submissions were received from interested parties. Most of the responses from individual amateurs, amateur clubs and organizations such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, applaud and fully support the Department's efforts to streamline the amateur service and have suggested improvements for its implementation. Radio Amateurs of Canada Inc. (RAC) also endorsed the proposal and recommended that the Department publish a policy governing the assignment of call signs.
In light of this favourable response, amendments were made to the Radiocommunication Regulations to come into effect April 1, 2000, to implement the new streamlined regime.
Few adverse comments were made about the fee proposal of $60.00 for user initiated transactions related to call signs. For the majority of respondents, the amount and criteria for charging this fee are reasonable. The fee covers the estimated cost of producing a notification of call sign registration and the ongoing maintenance of the data base as it relates to entries for which a fee is collected.
In light of the favourable consultations with the amateur community, the fee for an additional or special call sign or prefix will be established as proposed in the policy document released in May 1999. Complete details of the fee, administered in accordance with the call sign policy for the operation of radio stations in the radio amateur service, are set out in the following fee schedule.
Fee Schedule
The Minister of Industry, pursuant to section 19 of the Department of Industry Act, hereby fixes the following fee, effective the date of publication of this notice in the Canada Gazette. The fee is applicable to radio authorizations issued by the Minister pursuant to paragraph 5(1)(a) of the Radiocommunication Act to operate radio apparatus in the amateur radio service in accordance with the terms of the authorization.
Interpretation
1. For the purpose of this fee schedule,
- "amateur radio service" means a radiocommunication service in which radio apparatus are used for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication or technical investigation by individuals who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest;
- "call sign" means a signal of station identification normally formed by two non-accented letters
and a single digit followed by a group of not more than three non-accented letters; and - "special event call sign or special prefix" means a call sign or prefix assigned for a specified period to a specific station or to all amateurs in a geographical area for Canadian significant commemorative non-commercial anniversaries or Canadian significant events.
Radio Authorization Fee
2. The radio authorization fee for the assignment of a call sign or prefix in the amateur radio service is $60.00 for each occurrence of the following transactions:
- changing an existing call sign (including changing to a two-letter call sign);
- issuing a station call sign to a club or other organization;
- issuing an additional station call sign to an individual; and
- issuing a special event call sign or a special prefix.
General Notes
1. There is no fee for the grandfathering ("registration") of existing call signs or the use of call sign extensions to designate multiple stations. There is no fee charged:
- to issue the initial call sign with the Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with the Basic Qualification;
- to issue a replacement certificate due to loss or damage;
- to issue a replacement call sign with a new prefix, due to a change in address to a new province or territory; and
- to issue a certificate as a result of an additional qualification such as 5 w.p.m. 12 w.p.m. or Advanced.
2. The fee is due when applying for the issuance or registration of a call sign or special prefix.
3. The fee may be revised from time to time as circumstances warrant.
4. The call sign policy for the amateur radio service is set out in the Radiocommunication Information Circular 9 (RIC-9), entitled Call Sign Policy and Special Event Prefixes effective March 1, 2000.
John Manley
Minister of Industry