Hi FISTS,
Our petition has an RM number!!
It is RM-10811.
We have 30 days to post comments about it.
I talked to William Cross, of the FCC, today. He said (in a nutshell) that since all the petitions are of different viewpoints and have different points mentioned in them, after all the comment periods are over, he will go through all the comments and choose the points from all the filed petitions that most of the people wanted.  He will then bundle them into one petition.
We need to be sure that the FISTS petition is the petition that gets the most "I AGREE" votes. He said that for this comment period it is NOT necessary to write lengthy opinions, but just say "I agree with the FISTS petition" or "I agree with the FISTS petition except for the part about the 12 WPM increase" , etc.
It really is very simple, once you find the page to fill in your comments - that's the hardest part!  This link should take you right to it. http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/upload_v2.cgi
The proceeding number has to be exactly RM-10811 with a capital RM and the hyphen.  That goes in box 1. Put your name in box 3, and your mailing address in boxes 7,  8, and 9.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says "Send a brief comment to the FCC (typed in)" and type in your brief comment. Then click Send Comment and that will take you to a page that verifies that your comment has been received.
Everyone, licensed or not, with an interest in Morse code, retaining the requirement, eliminating the instant do-overs, or any of the other issues mentioned in the FISTS petition are welcome to file a comment. The FCC wants to know what the public thinks; that's why it's put up for public comment.
It is VERY IMPORTANT that everyone who cares about this issue file a comment. Numbers are crucial at this stage. We have until November 10 to show that CODE MATTERS and We are Proud to be KNOW CODE Hams!
Mr. Cross told me that the ARRL says that 70% of the hams don't use Morse code. I don't know where they got that figure from, but it just goes to show that we need to bombard the ARRL with emails and cards, too.
In the latest KN, there are postcards for you to cut out and mail in to the FCC and the ARRL. Fill in the RM number on the FCC card before you mail it, please!   To mail the ARRL postcard, you will have to cut about an inch past the point the dotted lines end, into the front cover to make it large enough to mail.
The third postcard, which is blank (my intention was that you send it directly to your ARRL director) is too small to mail as a postcard. It needs to be put into an envelope or taped to a 3x5 card. Sorry about that!  But, the important ones are the one to the FCC and the one to ARRL HQ.
If someone you know wants to file a comment to the FCC but doesn't have internet capability, the postal address is Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, SW Washington, DC 20554
LET THEM HEAR FROM US!! Start a petition at your local club!! We will not just sit by quietly and let them dumb us down any further!!
Please file your comments; it's fast, it's easy and it's crucial. .
Thank you, 73 88 Nancy WZ8C
PS: Contact me at nancy@tir.com