Radio spectrum has extremely high visibility, and every time an operator gets on and degrades the bands, that operator is not only making Amateur Radio less enjoyable but endangering it as well. The new fee, if approved, likely would go into effect sometime in September. The FCC said it estimates 8000 applicants will apply for vanity call signs in the current fiscal year. The effective date for the new FCC fee schedule will be announced later this year in a Report and Order or by a Public Notice published in the Federal Register. A number of different approaches are being tried.
Customer satisfaction is believed assured.
Preliminary tests were inconclusive. The entire concept will have to be abandoned. Years of development.