FCC Rules, Licensing and Radio Regulations
What this domain tests
This domain tests the legal frame around GMDSS: who may operate, what the station needs, what is prohibited, and which instruments apply.
Licenses
The FCC regulates maritime radio under 47 CFR Part 80 (Subpart W covers GMDSS); internationally the ITU Radio Regulations and SOLAS Chapter IV apply. Two different documents are involved:
- Ship station license - issued to the vessel through the FCC's Universal Licensing System, tied to the ship's call sign and MMSI. It runs for a fixed term, must be renewed, and must be available for inspection aboard.
- Operator license - personal, earned by examination: the GMDSS Radio Operator license (Element 7) authorizes operating GMDSS equipment; the maintainer license covers at-sea maintenance; a combined license covers both. Examinations are given by FCC-designated Commercial Operator License Examination Managers (COLEMs), and the license must be available for inspection when the station is operating.
The MMSI is assigned with the ship's license (or by an authorized agency for unlicensed vessels), belongs to the vessel, is programmed by an authorized technician and is not transferred between ships.
Prohibited and required
Prohibited: false or deceptive distress signals (a criminal matter), obscene or profane language, unidentified transmissions, broadcasting, traffic not permitted by the license, voice on Ch 70, and use of distress frequencies except for distress, urgency and safety. Required: identification at the start and end of communications, the least power needed, and obedience to the controlling station during distress traffic.
Worked example
An operator holding a GMDSS Radio Operator license is asked to repair a faulty MF/HF transmitter at sea. Reasoning: the operator license authorizes operation, not at-sea maintenance. The repair must be handled under the ship's approved maintenance arrangement - a person holding the maintainer qualification, shore maintenance or duplication of equipment. Keying the set is within the license; certifying the repair is not.
Traps
Confusing the operator license with the ship station license; assuming either license never expires; thinking an MMSI moves intact to a replacement vessel; believing a licensed operator may perform at-sea maintenance; forgetting that in a genuine emergency anyone may transmit a distress call by any available means, while the licensee remains responsible for the station.