Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act

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ARRL is encouraging participation in letters, emails to Congress in support of this important legislation:

==>HAYNIE: LETTERS=VOTERS=SUPPORT ON AMATEUR RADIO LEGISLATION

ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, says the good news is that the number of
House cosponsors for the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act, HR 713,
has topped 50. The Senate version of the legislation, S 537, now has eight
cosponsors. The downside, Haynie says, is that the Spectrum Protection
Bill as well as the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency
Act, HR 1478, will need many more cosponsors if either is to succeed.

"I'm frustrated," Haynie said this week. "Neither one of these bills is
ever going to see the light of day unless we get more cosponsors." While
thanking those who already have done so, Haynie again encouraged ARRL
members to not only urge their senators and representatives to cosponsor
the bills but to write and ask them to actively support them.

"It's going to take 10,000 letters, it's going to take 50,000 letters or
contacts," Haynie said. "To me, this is a no-brainer. This is something
that's important to the future of Amateur Radio."

Sponsored in the House by Rep Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) and in the Senate
by Sen Michael Crapo (R-ID), the Spectrum Protection Act would require the
FCC to provide "equivalent replacement spectrum" to Amateur Radio if the
FCC reallocates primary amateur frequencies, reduces any secondary amateur
allocations, or makes additional allocations within such bands that would
substantially reduce their utility to amateurs.

The latest House members to sign aboard HR 713 include representatives Jo
Bonner (R-AL); John Peterson (R-PA); Albert Wynn (D-MD); George Nethercutt
(R-WA); Jim Ramstad (R-MN); Barney Frank (D-MA); Todd Tiahrt (R-KS); and
Fortney "Pete" Stark (D-CA). The latest Senate members to sign aboard S
537 are Carl Levin (D-MI) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT).

HR 713 has been referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the
Internet. In June, Haynie testified before that panel, telling lawmakers
that that hams have lost more than 100 MHz of VHF and UHF spectrum over
the past 15 years and that another nearly 360 MHz of VHF and UHF spectrum
"has been substantially compromised." S 537 has been referred to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act, HR 1478--known
informally as "the CC&R bill"--would require private land-use regulators
such as homeowners' associations to "reasonably accommodate" Amateur Radio
antennas consistent with the PRB-1 limited federal preemption. PRB-1 now
applies only to states and municipalities. Introduced by Rep Steve Israel
(D-NY), the bill has been referred to the House Commerce Subcommittee on
Telecommunications and the Internet and now has 29 cosponsors.

Among the latest to get onboard HR 1478 are JD Hayworth (R-AZ); David
Price (D-NC); Rep Mike McIntyre (NC); Anna G. Eshoo (CA-14); and Mark
Udall (D-CO). No equivalent bill yet exists in the Senate.

Haynie says that if ARRL members value Amateur Radio and want these
proposals to succeed, they'll make the time to write letters or send
e-mails pushing for support of the three measures. "Peoples' own words and
their own expressions are what's going to count, not some canned letter
from Newington," Haynie said, while conceding that a form letter "is
better than nothing." Haynie said a personally crafted letter or e-mail
"adds a lot of weight."

Sample letters on the ARRL Web site for the Amateur Radio Spectrum
Protection Act of 2003
<http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/arspa.html#sample> and for the Amateur
Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act
<http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/hr1478 ... etter.html> cite Amateur
Radio's role in public safety and emergency communication.

"We'll do our part to get more organizations to support these bills,"
Haynie said. The League has been contacting other organizations involved
in public safety that have firsthand knowledge of the value of ham radio
to the public and advocating their support. But, Haynie said, letters from
individual voters get the most attention.

Cosponsorship is important while a bill is in committee, and Haynie
suggests that a representative or senator who gets 40 or 50 letters from
on a topic is going want to sign on to that bill.

"I can't emphasize enough the importance of that contact to the member of
Congress from the constituents out there in the district," Haynie
concluded, "because that's the ticket."

For guidance on the best methods of contacting your members of Congress,
see "Communicating with Congress," by Derek Riker, KB3JLF, on the ARRL Web
site <http://www.arrl.org/news/bandthreat/0304046.pdf> or in the April
2003 issue of QST (p 46).

Additional information--including the bills' texts and information on how
to write your congressperson or senators--is on the ARRL's "The Amateur
Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2003" Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/arspa.html> and on the "HR 1478, The
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act of 2003" Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/hr1478/>.

Those writing their lawmakers on behalf of either bill are asked to copy
their correspondence to the League via e-mail: Spectrum Protection Act, HR
713/S 637 <[email protected]> or Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
Consistency Act, HR 1478 <[email protected]>.