New Zealand Spectrum Fees Increase

New Zealand's Radio Spectrum Management has announced that the date its simplified fee regime will take effect will be 1st October 2017.

Most commercial and amateur licence users won’t need to do anything for the move to the new fee structure.  Licensees will automatically be moved into one of the four new fee categories and will see this change reflected on invoices and the Register of Radio Frequencies.

A letter will be sent to those land mobile licensees holding multiple transmitter location licences to confirm which fee class will apply to their licence.

New Zealand New Fee Structure - http://rsm.cmail20.com/t/r-l-jlyutyht-qbuiqil-s/

Ofcom Short Call Signs Licencing Problem

Ofcom has annouced that a small number of two-letter suffix call signs have been issued in error recently. These short-form call signs are anomalous and stem from an IT problem, which Ofcom is addressing.

Ofcom advise us that, although these call signs are not invalid, per se, licensees who have been issued with one should contact Spectrum Licensing at Ofcom on 0300 123 1000 or spectrum.licensing@ofcom.org.uk to discuss changing it for a normal format call sign.

SA Radio Frequency Regulations

Back in January 2016, the SARL requested ICASA (South Africa's regulator) to consider changes to the following regulation: In Part VII Item 31 (2) including 23 (35), antenna compliance regarding local authorities is covered.

The SARL (South African Radio League) is seeking a revision of this regulation and potentially in a similar format as the FCC PRB1 agreement in the USA regarding the reasonable accommodation of amateur radio antenna installations and zoning ordinances.

ICASA has now advised the SARL they will have to submit a formal proposal for a regulation change. It was agreed that the SARL will table all regulation changes in one document.