When will the new FCC license fees take effect?

UPDATE March 23, 2022: The FCC license fees will take effect on April 19, 2022. Read more.

UPDATE: The original article posted a specific date for activation, which turned out to be in error. We have since updated the article to correct the error and clarify the implementation process. We apologize for the error.

Last year the FCC announced new license application fees for various radio services, including the Amateur Radio Service and the GMRS. While the announcement received mixed response from the users of these services, it also created some confusion as to exactly when these new fees would begin to be enforced.

On December 29, 2020 the FCC issued a FCC Report and Order announcing the new fees. According to the document, the fee for an amateur radio technician, general or extra license, which previously was without charge, will now cost $35. The fee will apply to vanity call signs as well. The cost of a GMRS license will decrease from $70 to only $35. The licenses for both services are valid for 10 years.

When we first reported the FCC approval of the new ham and GMRS license fees back in December, there was no official date set for their implementation. This Report and Order would become effective after it was to be published in the Federal Register. However, some parts of it, including the applications fees, would not become effective until it is approved by Congress.

The Schedule of Application Fees of the Commission's Rules was published in the Federal Register March 19, 2021. According to the notice, the fees officially take effect once it is sent to Congress and the FCC's systems have been updated. The FCC will then publish a notice of the actual effective date. Update: Amateur and GMRS license fees change to $35 on April 19, 2022. Read for details.

If you are planning to obtain a ham radio license or vanity call sign, you still have time to do so without incurring the new $35 fee. If you want to buy a GMRS license and pay the lower fee, you may want to wait little awhile longer. Either way, we'll be here at Buy Two Way Radios to help you save on your ham, GMRS, and any other business or personal radios and radio accessories you may need.