Amateur Radio Licensing News:
FCC to Require Two Factor Authentication for CORES Users
(Via ARRL Website)
03/22/2024
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced an upcoming change to the Commission Registration System (CORES) that licensees use to pay any application or regulatory fees, manage or reset a password on an existing FRN, or request a new FRN. Beginning March 29, 2024, multifactor authentication will be implemented. Users will be prompted to request a six-digit secondary verification code, which will be sent to the email address(es) associated with each username. The user will then need to enter the code into CORES before they can continue.
In a public notice, the FCC said this change will make the system more secure. "This additional layer of security will further safeguard against unauthorized access, thereby enhancing the overall integrity of information contained within the CORES system and improving the security of user data," it read.
The FCC recommends that users confirm they have access to their username account email and to add a secondary email address, if need be.
Resources are available for those who need assistance with the system. For inquiries or assistance regarding the implementation of multifactor authentication on CORES, submit a help request at https://www.fcc.gov/wtbhelp, or call the FCC at 877-480-3201 (Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM ET).
New Amateur Extra-Class Question Pool Released Effective July 1, 2024
(Via ARRL Website)
12/07/2023
The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) Question Pool Committee (QPC) has released the 2024 - 2028 Extra-Class FCC Element 4 Question Pool and Syllabus to the public. The new Extra-Class Question Pool is effective from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2028.
The 2024 - 2028 pool is available as a Microsoft Word document and as a PDF. The 10 graphics required for the new Extra-Class Question Pool are available within the documents or separately in PDF and JPG file formats.
ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, and member of the NCVEC QPC, said, “The new pool incorporates significant changes compared to the 2020 - 2024 version. We carefully went over the pool for technical accuracy, relevancy to today’s amateur radio practices, syntax, grammar, style, format, and clarity and redundancy within and between the pools. With these goals in mind, 82 new questions were created, and 101 questions were eliminated, resulting in a reduction [of] the number of questions from 622 to 603. Over 350 questions were modified. We considered a question modified when the knowledge being tested was not changed but wording was improved, or answers or distractors were replaced.”
Somma advised that "the newly revised pool must be used for Extra-class license exams starting July 1, 2024. New test designs will be available to ARRL Volunteer Examiners (VEs) on that date. The ARRL VEC will supply its officially appointed, field-stocked VE teams with new Extra-class exam booklet designs around mid-June."
Extra-class examination candidates preparing for their exams using the 12th edition of The ARRL Extra Class License Manual or the 5th edition of ARRL's Extra Q & A are encouraged to test on or before June 30, 2024. New editions of ARRL licensing publications will be available in May for exams taken on or after July 1, 2024.
