Report No. DC-2700         ACTION IN DOCKET CASE          December 29, 1994


       COMMISSION DENIES RECONSIDERATION OF ORDER CONCERNING MESSAGE
                 FORWARDING SYSTEMS IN THE AMATEUR SERVICE
                           (PR DOCKET NO. 93-85)

     The Commission has denied Phil Karn reconsideration of its
decision concerning message forwarding systems in the Amateur
Service.  Karn sought reconsideration of the Commission's
decision that requires the licensee of the forwarding station to
either authenticate the identity of the station from which its
accepts communications on behalf of the system, or accept
accountability for the content of the message.

     On March 30, 1994, the FCC adopted an Order which provided
that in contemporary message forwarding systems, the control
operators of intermediate forwarding stations, other than the
first forwarding station, would not be  held accountable when
their stations retransmitted improper communications
inadvertently.  The purpose of the Order was to relax the amateur
service rules to enable these systems to operate at high speed
while retaining the minimum safeguards necessary to prevent
misuse.

     Denying reconsideration, the Commission said the Order did
not address, nor was it intended to address, what accommodations
should be made for message forwarding systems that may be
developed in the future.  This issue appeared to be the main
concern of Karn's request for reconsideration.  The Commission
said that if the present accommodation becomes unworkable in a
system using a different architecture, the manages of that system
can request necessary rule changes at the appropriate time. 

     Action by the Commission December 23, 1994, by Memorandum
Opinion and Order (FCC 94-344).  Chairman Hundt, Commissioners
Quello, Barrett, Ness, and Chong.

                                   -FCC-

     News Media contact: Patricia A. Chew at (202) 418-0500.
     Wireless Telecommunications Bureau contact: William T. Cross
at (202) 418-0680.