Reform of Ships' Radio Licensing
Ofcom today announced the conclusion of its reform of ships' radio
licensing which will reduce the administrative burden on the UK's
68,900 maritime licensees.
Following a 10 week public consultation, Ofcom has decided to:
• issue ship radio licences that are valid for the life of the vessel,
removing the requirement for radio users to purchase a licence each
year;
• provide a web-based licensing service as an alternative to
the postal service;
• issue electronic licences to users online, free of charge;
• require licensees to confirm their licence details at least
once every 10 years; and
• dispense with the requirement to display the licence disc;
however, a copy of the licence must be kept on board the vessel.
Ofcom will continue to make paper licences available for applicants
who do not have access to, or prefer not to use, the internet. There
may be an administration fee for this.
The full policy statement can be found at:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/src/statement/
Ships' radio is used for the safe navigation of vessels and for
making distress calls in emergency situations. Ofcom estimates that
20% of ships' radio equipment is unlicensed nationally.
Ofcom believes that the introduction of the new electronic licensing
regime, due to begin on 1 October 2006, will reduce the extent of
unlicensed equipment use.
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