Enough Waiting: Why Amateur Radio Needs a New Volunteer Examiner Coordinator

For over five years, one individual has carried the torch for a cause that should never have taken this long to resolve. That individual is Brandin Hess, WB1BR, President and Founder of the Last Frontier Amateur Radio Society (LFARS). Since April 2020, Brandin has been navigating a maze of FCC bureaucracy in pursuit of a goal that every amateur operator should care about: the establishment of a new Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC).

This journey has now stretched across three clubs, three presidential administrations, and now three separate petitions. The path has been anything but smooth, yet the need remains urgent.

  • April 2020: The effort to secure authorization for a new VEC began.
  • September 2020: A formal petition was filed with the FCC.
  • May 2023: After years of inaction and silence, a new petition was submitted under WT Docket 21-2. (Link opens a PDF)
  • September 2025: Our latest petition has now been filed, once again asking the FCC to act.

And what has been the FCC’s consistent response through all of this? The same four words, repeated like a broken record:
“…your request remains pending.”

This phrase has become the hallmark of the FCC’s approach—delay, ignore, and hope we stop asking. But we haven’t stopped asking. And we will not stop until this request is granted.

Why This Matters

Volunteer Examiner Coordinators are the lifeblood of amateur radio licensing. Without them, exams cannot be administered, new operators cannot enter the hobby, and our service cannot grow. To deny or indefinitely delay the creation of a new VEC is to deny opportunities for innovation, for broader access, and for keeping amateur radio alive for future generations.

It’s worth noting: while our petition for a new VEC has languished for years without action, the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau somehow found the time to approve a new Club Station Callsign Administrator in August 2025. Clearly, the Commission is capable of acting when it chooses. The question then becomes: why does the FCC continue to show no urgency or interest in this matter?

We have now spanned three presidential administrations. That’s fifteen seasons of waiting, three changes in leadership at the highest levels of government, and not a single meaningful step forward. Amateur radio deserves better.

What We’re Asking For

The FCC will not move unless the amateur radio community demands it. That’s why we are calling for 50 to 100 letters of support from licensed U.S. amateur radio operators.

Here’s what you can do:

  1. Read our active petition here:
    🔗 LFARS Petition for New VEC (PDF)
  2. File your letter of support with the FCC under WT Docket 21-2.
  3. Send a copy of your letter to us so we can keep a record of this effort:
    📧 president@lfars.net

Important Notes

  • If you already submitted a comment back in 2021 when WT Docket 21-2 first opened, you’ve already made your voice heard. This call to action is for those who have not yet filed.
  • There is no official deadline, but the sooner we submit letters, the sooner the FCC will be forced to acknowledge the groundswell of support.

Why Now

We are not asking for something radical. We are asking for fairness, for transparency, and for the FCC to uphold its responsibility to amateur radio operators across this country.

The FCC’s refusal to act has already wasted years of opportunity. Every day that passes without a new VEC is another day where future operators are denied easier access to licensing opportunities. It is another day where our service loses ground to silence, red tape, and stagnation.

As amateur radio operators, we know what it means to act in service of the public good. We know what it means to respond in times of need, to innovate when resources are scarce, and to lead when no one else will. The FCC should take a lesson from that spirit. But until they do, we must hold them accountable.

The Bottom Line

This is bigger than just one club, or one petition, or one president. This is about the future of amateur radio.

Brandin Hess, WB1BR, has carried this fight since 2020. He has petitioned, re-petitioned, and pushed forward through silence and obstruction. But this effort is not his alone. It belongs to every amateur operator who cares about access, opportunity, and the continued vitality of our service.

Now is the time to act. Submit your letter. Share this call to action with others. Let’s send a message to the FCC that five years of delay is five years too long.

The Last Frontier Amateur Radio Society will not stop pushing. And with your help, we can finally get the FCC to do what it should have done years ago: approve a new Volunteer Examiner Coordinator.

73,
Last Frontier Amateur Radio Society, WL7CYT
Dated: September 16th, 2025
Amended / Updated: September 17th, 2025

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