The Wireless Telegraphy (Licence Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2003

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Wireless Telegraphy (Licence Charges) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/1700) (the “Principal Regulations”). These Regulations do not extend to the Channel Islands or to the Isle of Man.

The Principal Regulations are amended by the addition of an option of payment of charges for certain wireless telegraphy licences granted under section 1 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 (c. 54) by ten monthly instalments rather than in one lump sum payment at the prescribed time. The option is available to licensees where charges for one or more than one licence are payable in respect of licences falling within one of the licence classes listed, the licence is (or the licences are) to be granted for a period greater than a year, payment is to be made at the same prescribed time and the charge or charges exceed £100,000.

The Principal Regulations have been amended to expand the list of licence classes which qualify for the reduction in the prescribed sum payable by a charity for licences in accordance with Regulation 5(2) of the Principal Regulations.

In the Aeronautical sector certain licence classes have been renamed. The Aeronautical Ground Station (Airfield Flight Information Service) class of licence has been renamed Aeronautical Ground Station (Air to Ground and Flight Information Service) and the charge has been altered. The Aeronautical Navigational Aids and Radar class of licence has been renamed Aeronautical Navigation Aids. New licence classes have also been added. The reduced charges which applied under the Aircraft licence, where aircraft had not recorded more than 100 flying hours, have been removed.

For Fixed Links, a new Self Co-ordinated Links class of licence has been added to the Principal Regulations, a new charging structure applies for the Scanning Telemetry licence class and the Un-co-ordinated Links licence class has been removed.

A GSM-R (Railway Use) class has been added to the Private Business Radio sector.

For the Programme Making and Special Events sector the charges payable on issue and variation of certain licence classes have been altered. New charges have been added for the Programme Making and Special Events Link class.

The fee payable in the Public Wireless Networks sector for the licence class Public Mobile Operator for licences at 410-430 MHz (for digital TETRA public access mobile radio) has been altered.

In the Satellite Services sector a new minimum charge for a Permanent Earth Station licence is now set at £175.

In the Science and Technology sector the licence class Unspecified Temporary Radio Use has been renamed Non-Operational Temporary Use and the licence class Testing and Development has been renamed Non-Operational Development.

These Regulations have been made in accordance with the 1998 Act as amended by the 2003 Act. Since the 2003 Act has not been extended to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man the amendments it makes to the 1998 Act do not apply to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. Separate regulations, which amend the Principal Regulations for the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, have been made under the 1998 Act.

A full regulatory impact assessment and report of the effect that these Regulations would have on the costs to business is available to the public from the Office of Communications Library at Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA (Tel: [phone]) or on the Office of Communications Internet web site at www.ofcom.org.uk. Copies of the report have also been placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament.