Ship's radio licensing

On 8 December 2005 the Office of Communications (OfCom) issued a policy statement, announcing the following reforms with effect from 1st October 2006.

• issue ship radio licences that are valid for the life of the vessel, removing the requirement for radio users to purchase a licence each year;
• provide a web-based licensing service as an alternative to the postal service;
• issue electronic licences to users online, free of charge (users who want Ofcom to issue a paper licence may face an administartive charge);
• require licensees to confirm their licence details at least once every 10 years; and
• dispense with the requirement to display the licence disc; however, a copy of the licence must be kept on board the vessel.

The full report is available from the OfCom website at www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/src/statement/statement.pdf.