<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'><P>Food for thought...</P>
<P> </P>
<P><BR>----- Forwarded Message -----<BR>From: "ARRL Web site" <memberlist@www.arrl.org><BR>To: djmay@comcast.net<BR>Cc: Subscribed ARRL Members:;<BR>Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 9:32:33 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern<BR>Subject: ARLB016 FCC Denies Petition to Increase Size of Amateur Radio Question Pools<BR><BR>SB QST @ ARL $ARLB016<BR>ARLB016 FCC Denies Petition to Increase Size of Amateur Radio<BR>Question Pools<BR><BR>ZCZC AG16<BR>QST de W1AW <BR>ARRL Bulletin 16 ARLB016<BR>From ARRL Headquarters <BR>Newington CT March 20, 2009<BR>To all radio amateurs <BR><BR>SB QST ARL ARLB016<BR>ARLB016 FCC Denies Petition to Increase Size of Amateur Radio<BR>Question Pools<BR><BR>In April 2008, Michael Mancuso, KI4NGN, of Raleigh, North Carolina,<BR>filed a petition with the FCC, seeking to increase the size of the<BR>question pools that make up the Amateur Radio licensing exams.<BR>Mancuso sought to increase the question pool from 10 times the<BR>number of questions on an exam to 50 times more questions. On March<BR>19, 2009, the Commission notified Mancuso that it was denying his<BR>petition.<BR><BR>In his 2008 petition, Mancuso claimed that the current question pool<BR>is too easy to memorize and "that there has been a significant<BR>increase in the number of Amateur Radio operators receiving their<BR>licenses over at least the last decade or more who do not appear to<BR>possess the knowledge indicated by the class of license that they<BR>have received. Most discussion about this topic, both on the air and<BR>on Internet forums, generally refers to these widespread<BR>observations as the 'dumbing down' of Amateur Radio. It has been<BR>widely assumed that the cause of this observed situation is based<BR>upon the subject material addressed by the license examinations,<BR>that the material requirements specified for the examinations does<BR>[sic] not meet some minimum level of knowledge expected by some or<BR>many in the Amateur Radio community."<BR><BR>The FCC pointed out to Mancuso that each applicant for a new or<BR>upgraded Amateur Radio operator license "is required to pass a<BR>written examination in order to prove that he or she possesses the<BR>operational and technical qualifications required to perform<BR>properly the duties of an amateur service operator licensee, i.e.,<BR>that he or she is qualified to be an amateur service licensee."<BR><BR>The Commission summed up Mancuso's petition, saying, "You argue that<BR>the current question pool size is no longer adequate, because online<BR>practice examinations enable examinees to memorize a question pool<BR>without fully comprehending the subject matter being tested.<BR>Consequently, you propose to increase the size of the question<BR>pools, in order to hinder memorization."<BR><BR>The Commission concluded that Mancuso did not present grounds for<BR>the Commission to amend its rules: "As noted above, the purpose of<BR>the examinations is not to demonstrate an applicant's comprehension<BR>of certain material, but rather to determine whether he or she can<BR>properly operate an amateur station. Moreover, your contention that<BR>there has been 'a significant increase in the number of Amateur<BR>Radio operators...who do not appear to possess the knowledge<BR>indicated by their class of license' is not supported by any data or<BR>facts."<BR><BR>The FCC pointed out to Mancuso that the Commission's Rules only<BR>dictate the minimum number of questions for each question pool for<BR>the three Amateur Radio license classes. This, the Commission told<BR>Mancuso, "does not prevent the National Conference of Volunteer<BR>Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) from increasing the number of<BR>questions in a question pool should it decide that this is<BR>appropriate. We conclude, therefore, that the petition presents no<BR>evidence of an existing problem or other reason for a rule change."<BR>NNNN<BR>/EX<BR><BR><BR></P></div></body></html>