ARRL has told the FCC that no additional Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VEC) are needed to oversee the administration of amateur radio exams by Volunteer Examiners (VEs).

Examination opportunities have continued to be widely available throughout the US — except for a couple of months during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — and adding VECs to the 14 now in place would “have no effect” on the number of available exams, ARRL said. ARRL’s comments on February 4 were in response to a January 5 FCC Public Notice in WT Docket 21-2 seeking input on possible expansion of the VEC pool.

“In response to the Commission’s Notice, ARRL reviewed the amateur examination numbers for the past 5 years, including the COVID-19 pandemic period,” ARRL said in its comments. “We found that even though 10 of the 12 months for calendar year 2020 were times of severe disruption throughout the nation, including for FCC and ARRL headquarters staff, amateur examination opportunities and numbers were strong”

— ARRL

Multiple web-based exam opportunities are available across the US, even on short notice, and in-person examinations are available in many areas where local regulation and special safety requirements allow.

“It has never been easier,” ARRL asserted, noting that exam sessions often are available within 2 days but rarely more than 7, if taking advantage of a remote, web-based exam opportunity.

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