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More than 21,000 people have signed up to an e-petition on the No. 10 website in support of the proposition "Protect the RNLI from paying licence fees for using Maritime radio frequencies". The petition closes on 9th October 2009. Should CYCC clubs encourage their members to sign up too?
The background to this is an OfCom consultation paper issued on 30 July 2008 which proposed an extension of Administered Incentive Pricing (AIP) in the Maritime and Aeronautical sectors. The e-petition was launched in response to a report in the Sunday Telegraph (28/09/2008) which reported Peter Bradley, operations staff officer of the RNLI, as saying the move would cost the charity a quarter of a million pounds a year, and would have a disastrous impact on fundraising. The newspaper reported him as saying: "If they apply AIP without a discount we would have to find an extra £260,000 a year. That's a lot of money when you think in terms of lifeboat days and little old ladies collecting pound coins. We could buy several inshore lifeboats for the same amount."
Not unnaturally this report caused substantial alarm. OfCom issued an "October update" explaining that it had no intention of removing the 50% discount for charities, and pointing out that most of the radio frequencies used in SAR operations are paid for by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) out of general taxation. It went on to suggest that if the RNLI were to take advantage of a national licence its annual charge would fall to an estimated £20,000. The consultation period on the OfCom paper ended on 30 October 2008.
The issue is the charge on the RNLI for its use of radio frequencies for its station or boathouse radios, lifeguard radios, launching vehicles and pager systems. The radio licenses the RNLI needs for its lifeboats are free and will remain so. This is recognized by the RNLI in a series of responses to OfCom.
However there is still a philosophical gulf between the RNLI which has said "ideally it would still like to see a complete exemption from AIP or a 100% discount on radio licensing fees ... which contribute to the safety and saving of life at sea" and OfCom which sees market forces as the means to ensure efficiency in the use of the radio spectrum.
If you do sign up to the e-petition, don't do so in the belief that you asking for the RNLI to be saved from being charged for the use of VHF radio at sea. If you are a UK taxpayer, you have paid for that already.
The RYA made a detailed response to the OfCom proposals, which is available from the RYA website.
Bruce Grant
(Chairman CYCC)