Ofcom has hinted at potential changes to the amateur radio licence in their Plan of Work 2023-24 document released at the end of March 2023.

The two notable paragraphs are:

“WTA (Wireless Telegraphy Act) licence simplification. Alongside our move to a new licensing platform, we will review our licensing processes and documentation to ensure we have an efficient approach, reducing the burden on our licensees as far as possible and simplifying their engagement with us. A key part of this program will be our review of Amateur licensing”

“Amateur radio licences review. We will consult on proposals to simplify our licensing framework for amateur radio licensing and incorporate new areas of amateur radio activity. Our aim is to provide clear updated rules which afford radio amateurs greater freedom to operate, drawing on feedback provided by the sector”

What happens next?It appears that there will be a public consultation in Q1 2023–24 (Between April and June 2023), followed by a statement in Q4 2023–24 (between January and March 2024)

What could change?The information released so far is minimal, so could be anything and are open to interpretation. Just for fun, here are a few possibilities – we’d love you to add some of your own thoughts in the comments section below.

• “Simplifying the framework” – A reduction in the number of licence levels would certainly achieve this, perhaps with the removal of “Intermediate” and the return to a two-tier system?
• “Licencing Platform – Reducing the burden” – Could that hint at the end of the requirement to revalidate via the Ofcom site every 5 years?
• “New areas of activity” – Could this mean a relaxing of the rules regarding Digital Voice, Hotspots, Gateways and Remote Operation?
• “Clear, updated rules” – Perhaps some specific guidance on some of the more vague terms “as frequently as practicable”, “from time to time”, etc. Or perhaps changes to kit construction at Foundation? Or changing the references to “Radio Equipment”?
• “Greater freedom to operate” – Increased power? More bands? Few restrictions in the Schedule? Less restrictions for gateways, beacons, repeaters, remote and unattended operation?

Some wilder theories:

• The dropping of mandatory Regional Secondary Locators (for Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland) would simplify the framework and increase freedom
• “Greater freedom to operate” could point to relaxing the supervision rules, construction, testing requirements, or allowing Foundation and Intermediate to send greetings messages. Or a change to identification frequency (once per 60-minute period?)

Syllabus changes?There is currently a disconnect between the licence (Ofcom) and the syllabus (RSGB). It is RSGB, not Ofcom, that imposes that newcomers to the hobby must understand: resistors in series and parallel, the human hearing range, the height of the Ionosphere and how to draw a block diagram of a transmitter. “Greater freedom to operate” could mean that Ofcom asks RSGB to reduce the focus on electronics, particularly at the lower levels. Most newcomers don’t build their own transmitters, so does a licence holder really need to memorise the resistor colour code or understand Fourier transform?

If Ofcom was to suggest a simplification of the syllabus, might they go further and remove the monopoly that RSGB has on exams? Could we see a time where online course providers not only run courses, but also exams?

Or, could we see a move towards an “operator licence” and a “constructor licence”?

Alternatively, could Ofcom decide that the RSGB’s 2019 syllabus changes were excessive? Since the new syllabus rolled out, we’ve seen a steep drop in people moving from Foundation to Intermediate, and with the new Intermediate now containing a significant amount of “Full” theory drop down to make the exam harder, people staying put at Foundation is a worrying trend. Whilst RSGB appears keen on adding in extra theory to our primarily practical hobby, perhaps Ofcom would like to see more people enter the hobby and progress as operators, not theorists?

Foundation to Intermediate ProgressionThe above are all speculations and we’d love to hear your own thoughts on what could change, via the comments below!

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