Who needs a license anyway?

Everyone.

Entities that own or will own radio equipment that are subject to FCC Rules and Regulations Part 90 need a valid license. (Part 90 is the guidelines for frequency regulation for Private Land Mobile Radio Services). Therefore, if you are a commercial business or government agency, you will need a license prior to operation of your communications system.

NOTE: It is not permitted to operate a radio transmitter without proper authorization from the FCC. The FCC has placed the responsibility of obtaining and/or maintaining a valid license upon the license holder.

What happens if I do not file for a new license?

Fines and penalties.

The FCC has numerous fines and penalties for improper use of radio frequencies. These fines and penalties can be quite large and can be imposed for each day the violation occurs. This could place your organization at financial risk!

I have a license, but some of the information is incorrect. What can I do?

Have a different mailing address, phone number, contact?
Change of company name, ownership or company buy-out?
Have you relocated any of your equipment or added more equipment?

These types of changes require a filing with the FCC. The type of filing will be dependant upon what changes need to be made. Your application may be as simple as an Administrative Update or require coordination and an FCC application modification.

Oh NO! My FCC license has expired! Now What?

Lloyd's Electronics can assist you by filing an application with a frequency coordinator to request reinstatement of previous frequencies*. Licenses that expired within the past 30 days could be reapplied for by filing a waiver with the FCC and paying applicable waiver fees.

NOTE: *Refiling for specific frequencies does not guarantee that they will be recommended to the FCC by a Frequency Coordinator. Applicants must understand that the FCC makes the final determination regarding the usage of frequencies and the issuance of a valid license.

What about those FCC notices?
Dismissed Applications or Construction Notifications?

Are you trashing your FCC notices? If you are, you could be throwing money away. If you have not filed all of your paperwork correctly and in a timely manner, the FCC can terminate your license. The issuance of a FCC license is provisional and all paperwork regarding it must be filed within one year of it being issued. Failure to complete or do a timely file means you start all over....coordination, FCC fees and or penalties.

How long does it take to file?

Initial Processing:
Processing will depend upon what changes are required and if other governmental entities require information prior to processing with the FCC. We provide this service to our customers for a nominal fee. Customers may, however, file on their own without assistance from us.

The Coordinating Agency:
Frequency coordination is through a Coordinating Agency. The Coordinating Agencies are non-governmental agencies and FCC approved. They assist the FCC in license applications and frequency coordination. The Coordinating Agency that processes your application depends upon the frequency that you qualify for, what frequencies are available as well as your applicant status. It is possible for them to take from 2 weeks to 3 months to process your application.

The FCC:
Applications are then sent to the FCC for processing, which could take an additional 4-6 months. When the FCC has approved your application, it is mailed to you the customer at the address indicated on your application.


What are the costs involved?

We process and submit applications to Coordinating Agencies as a courtesy to our customers for a nominal fee. Our fees begin at $50.00 and go up depending upon the scope of work necessary to assist customers in becoming compliant with the FCC Rules and Regulations.

Coordinating Agencies charge a processing fee. These fees vary dependant upon the Coordinating Agency and must be paid upon submission of your application. The coordinating fees start at $150.00 - $210.00 per frequency per location.

The FCC also charges a processing fee. FCC fees are totally dependant upon the type of filing required. If you need further information on fees charged by the FCC, you can access their web site at http://www.fcc.gov/ or call them at 1-888-CALL-FCC.

PLEASE NOTE: Lloyds will not be responsible for a customers failure to provide correct or required information which would result in application re-submission and/or additional fees applied to their application by the Coordinating Agency, FCC or both.

Other rules, regulations, or important information that I should know about.
Licenses have a ten (10) year term. It is extremely important that you keep your license current. If your license would expire, there is no guarantee that you would receive the same frequency when you reapply. Also, the FCC has placed the responsibility of license renewal upon the license holder. Therefore, when your license expires so does your legal authorization to operate your radio system.

Still have licensing questions? Ask our Licensing Division