QST DE W1AW  
ARRL BULLETIN 53  ARLB053
FROM ARRL HEADQUARTERS  
NEWINGTON CT  DECEMBER 13, 1990
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS

FCC also announced on December 13 that it has amended its rules to
make the Amateur Service more accessible to handicapped or disabled
licensees who are unable to pass a higher speed Morse code
examination.  The FCC decided to decline to provide a list of
disabilities.  Instead, the judgment of a qualified physician will
be relied upon to determine that a person cannot pass a Morse code
examination due to a severe handicap.  In response to concerns about
the integrity of the process, FCC staff said anyone abusing the
process would be dealt with harshly.

The FCC affirmed that because of international requirements, no
exemptions would be granted for the 5 WPM Morse code requirement.

QST DE W1AW  
ARRL BULLETIN 54  ARLB054
FROM ARRL HEADQUARTERS  
NEWINGTON CT  DECEMBER 13, 1990
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS

FCC announced on December 13 that new Technician Class license
applicants will not have to demonstrate Morse code proficiency in
order to have all privileges above 30 MHz.  Implementation is
expected by February 1991.  Techs who obtain their licenses prior to
that date will be grandfathered, meaning they will continue to have
their present HF privileges.

The codeless Technician written exam will have 55 questions.  New
Technicians wanting HF privileges will be required to hold a CSCE
for element 1A, that is 5 WPM, which must be administered by three
accredited VEs.  There will be no call sign designator to indicate
whether or not a Technician has passed a code test, but FCC will
have records of who has passed.

More details will be forthcoming in February QST.

UPDATE:

The codeles license is expected to go into effect February 15, 1990.

Joe - N1FCJ.