[GCARC] FCC to Reallocate AM Broadcast Band

[ab2e]

Happy april fools day Cory!



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-------- Original message --------
From: Burning Image <visual_storytellers at yahoo.com> 
Date: 04/01/2014  9:40 AM  (GMT-05:00) 
To: GCARC <gcarc at mailman.qth.net> 
Subject: [GCARC] FCC to Reallocate AM Broadcast Band 
 


Federal Communications
Commission
445 12th St SW
Washington, DC
20536
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
1 April, 2014 – FCC
Rulemaking Terminates AM Broadcasting in 2015
 
During a 5 day session where
Commissioners deliberated on the many plans submitted to make AM broadcasting
relevant to the American public again, frustration gave way to decision making
when it was realized there really was nothing technical that could be done.
 
“We’ve thought of every
digital solution offered, plus restructuring the rules on translators, but
nothing can compensate for the lack of meaningful content.” - stated
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.  “I
come from a newspaper background and if we had produced a papers with the same
boring ‘me too’ stuff I hear on AM, we’d have folded years ago.  So, we came to the only solution that
made sense as to having it remain of some value – give to the hams.”
 
Thus, the Amateur Radio
Service is to be the beneficiary of the spectrum from 600 kilocycles to 1500
kilocycles, leaving some existing users, such as highway alert systems and kids
with wireless microphones in place at the current band edges.  The sub-band from 600 kilocycles to 900
kilocycles is to be CW-exclusive.  As Chairman Tom Wheeler explained, “Hams still like Morse Code and do a
lot with it, so this seemed like a good way to encourage them to adopt the new
band and actually use it.  In fact,
that was a driving force in letting them have pretty much the whole band.  Nobody’s going to pay us anything for
this spectrum, so why not let the hams have it?  If anyone can figure out a way to make it worth something
and actually use it, it’s got to be radio amateurs.”
 
This new allocation also
solves another problem concerning radio amateurs.  A small 472 kilocycle allocation was supposed to be made available
over a year ago, but electrical utilities balked at the idea, stating it could
cause interference.  “We didn’t
really get that particular argument, since they were concerned about the
effects of just a 5 watt signal coming from the hams – even though the pounds
of paper they gave us a few years back in support of Broadband over Power Lines
(BPL) said their thousands of high-level signals couldn’t possibly interfere
with amateur radio.  But then
again, we’re traditionally lawyers and really don’t understand all this
electronics stuff.” - stated commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel.  Fellow Commissoner Ajit Pai added
“Yeah, pretty much.”
 
Currently, power levels of
50 thousand watts is allowed by broadcasters with no effect on power
distribution.  Since radio amateurs
are limited to far less, there’s no possibility of problems – important when
you already have enough problems to deal with.  Existing broadcasters will have 1 year to get off the air
and sell off their equipment – presumably to eager hams with rented trucks.
 
There will be a window for
interested parties, including the American Radio Relay League to file comments,
but the commissioners want to be clear on one topic.  Commissioner Michael O’Rielly clarified, “Just because this
band is really ancient, doesn’t mean we’re going to allow spark emissions
again.  I know that’s going to tick
off some Old Timers who think ham radio was ruined once that mode was
disallowed, but you’ve got to put your foot down somewhere.”
 
For additional information,
please contact FCC Media Liason April Phules at (202) 555-1515 
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