FCC Legacy CORES System to be Retired

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will retire the Legacy version of its COmmission REgistration System (CORES) on 15th July 2022. CORES is the FCC's public-facing database that enables and tracks certain types of FCC and FCC applicant actions, including amateur radio applications and licenses. Its implementation has enabled routine amateur applications and licenses to be issued overnight instead of over weeks, as was the case with earlier methods. ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® advises the amateur radio community to transition to the updated version of CORES as soon as possible.

In essence, CORES is designed to identify those who hold certain types of FCC licenses and FCC authorizations, including amateur licenses, and organize them in an easily accessible manner under a common FCC Registration Number (FRN) regardless of whether one holds a single such authority or thousands. The new CORES, in addition to assigning individual FRNs, allows holders of multiple FRNs to aggregate them under a single account where the licenses and authorization, fees and payments, and related actions can be administered from within the same account.

In effect, new CORES can be conceptualized as an electronic interactive file folder. The updated version of CORES has been available since 2016, and now its use will be mandatory for all amateur licensees when submitting amateur-related applications.

Starting on 15th July 2022, the Legacy CORES website will re-direct users to the Commission's updated CORES site. Although some functionalities in the old system will continue to work for a short time, the FCC has urged all users to transition to the updated CORES system to take advantage of its enhanced security and functionality.