Via HamHijinks.com, original post here.

By WBØRUR, on the scene.

PORT O’ GLOOM, GEORGIA — A Chickasaw County man has become the first amateur radio operator to officially purchase an HF radio frequency, the Federal Communications Commission announced today in a noon hour media luncheon.

Between bites of cucumber sandwiches and small squares of bread slathered with pimento cheese, FCC spokesman Pontus “Smokey” Blumenthal told reporters gathered at the Tri-County Technical College dining hall that the sale is “…part of the government’s plan to generate revenue from ‘under-performing’ slices of the radio spectrum.”

Using a lottery system, local ham radio operator Buzz Sanders (175 Fisherman’s Landing), accepted purchase of 14.281 MHz in the 20 meter amateur radio band.

A retired auto industry worker, Sanders says he’ll pay $2500 for the frequency over 35 monthly payments with a large balloon payment in month 36.

“It seemed like a fair deal to me,” he said. “When I get ready to work a contest, have a rag chew, want to tune up on the air, or just create some random QRM, I can use 14.281.  And if someone gets belligerent, I’ll remind them that as a matter of fact I DO own the frequency!”

Sanders says he’s already thinking about subletting the frequency after several large contesting organizations contacted him in recent days.

Blumenthal shared that the FCC is also considering a “lease-to-own” frequency program, with the option to return the frequency to the government at the end of the lease term if propagation isn’t suitable to the operator.