Yes, the info below is evidence of a scam on the part of our government.
If you are owed a refund, you will not be told. If you find out that you
overpaid, you must write a letter begging for the refund of your own
money.

Even worse is the copyright office. When they raise their fees, they will
cash the insufficient check and then do nothing until you pay the extra
you owe.  They don't just send back the insufficient check or bill for the
balance. And if you ask why it's taking so long, you will be told to be
patient.  It's up to you to figure out that you owe more money.

These practices, and stupid forms like the one to change an address for a
ham license, must cost the government, us, billions per year in wasted
processing time.

But, hey!  We've got full employment!

Tom Karnes
Oceanside, California
[log in to unmask]

On Fri, 31 Aug 2001, Mike Freeman wrote:

> SB QST @ ARL $ARLB037
> ARLB037 Lower Amateur Radio Vanity Fee is Effective September 10
>
> ZCZC AG37
> QST de W1AW
> ARRL Bulletin 37  ARLB037
> >From ARRL Headquarters
> Newington CT  August 31, 2001
> To all radio amateurs
>
> SB QST ARL ARLB037
> ARLB037 Lower Amateur Radio Vanity Fee is Effective September 10
>
> The FCC says the fee for a new or renewed Amateur Radio vanity call
> sign will drop to $12 on September 10. Applications received on or
> after that date will be subject to the new fee. The current vanity
> call sign fee is $14.
>
> The FCC proposed the lower fee last March in a Notice of Proposed
> Rulemaking for the Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for
> FY 2001. The FCC has estimated that 8000 applicants will apply for
> vanity call signs in the current fiscal year.
>
> Earlier this year, the FCC also put paper and electronic vanity call
> sign applications on an equal footing in terms of processing
> priority. The FCC used to give priority to electronic applications
> for vanity call signs.
>
> FCC rules stipulate refunds for applicants who inadvertently overpay
> a regulatory fee. Applicants who determine that they overpaid a
> vanity fee may request a refund in writing. Requests seeking a
> ''Vanity Fee Overpayment Refund'' go to FCC, 1270 Fairfield Rd,
> Gettysburg PA 17325-7245. Refund requests should indicate the date
> of application, the total fee paid, and the total refund owed.
>
> For more information, visit the FCC Amateur Radio Web page,
> http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/amateur/VanityCS.html .
> NNNN
> /EX
>