[HoustonHam] FW: [TARC] FCC Seeks Public Comments on Emergency Communications by Amateur Radio and Impediments to Amateur Radio Communications

[Christopher W. Boone]

FYI folks....From my friends in Florida...(no, not THAT George Jones the
Country singer :)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: George Jones [mailto:w4aqr at tampabay.rr.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 11:30 PM
> To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
> Cc: Chris Boone
> Subject: Fw: [TARC] FCC Seeks Public Comments on Emergency
> Communications by Amateur Radio and Impediments to Amateur Radio
> Communications
> 
> Trustee,
> 
> I am sure you have kept up with the latest FCC request for information on
> impediments to hams participating in providing emergency communications.
> The ARRL has seized the opportunity to use our response to help the fight
> over restrictive regulations by local municipalities and home owner's
> association with regard to antenna restrictions.
> 
> Attached is a MS-Word document from Neil Lauristen (Pinellas County EOC)
> outlining his response to the above issue.
> While I am in favor of his response for the most part, I very much take
issue
> with his response as it is related to section 97.113.
> 
> Ham radio licenses are issued to individuals and not public service or
business
> agencies.  Therefore the licensed amateur is legally responsible for the
> proper operation of an amateur station both technically and the content of
> the traffic that is passed over the air waves, per PART 97. Now add to
that
> the civil penalties under the law for improper use of Internet
> communications where systems such as Echolink, IRLP or D-STAR are
> interfaced to the World-Wide-Web. In addition to where such connections
> exist, the potential is also there for a violation of international
regulations or
> treaty agreements. All of which the individual amateur will be held
> accountable.
> 
> Amateur Radio was created to provide a Not-for-Profit radio service of
> licensed individuals.  The employer-employee relationship is such that
> companies can place undue pressure on their employees to operate contrary
> to PART 97 rules for which the individual licensed ham will be held
> accountable.  Allowing full time access to the ham bands by employees, on
> behalf of there employer, would serve to push out non-employee
> volunteers in favor of the employee hams. We have already seen many
> examples of this in the last few years. In the typical business model
> department heads always won't to "manage the resource". How can a
> department head manage a bunch of independent volunteers? Remember
> who is held accountable for following the regulations, the individual ham
and
> not the agency or department head. If the full time employee access change
> is allowed, then ham radio as we know it will eventually be morphed into
> another pseudo commercial service under the control of the agencies we
> support.
> 
> I for one, as a volunteer, have no interest in using equipment I purchased
to
> support another commercial service.
> As an FCC licensed (GROL) professional, I expect to be compensated for
> support of any commercial service. The agency must purchase FCC type
> accepted equipment  and not rely on the volunteer nature of hams and their
> own equipment to further the agency's bottom line.
> 
> The current section 97.113 provides the necessary compromise to allow
> employees to participate in emergency communications, on behalf of there
> employer, while maintaining the separation between Not-for-Profit
> individuals and business entities. Any change in the current regulations
> would serve to eventually dismantle the Not-for Profit, volunteer nature
of
> the amateur radio service.  Section 97.113, as currently written, provides
the
> necessary frame work similar to the language in  the US Constitution which
> provides for the "separation of church and state."  Any proposed changes
to
> 97.113 must be carefully thought out. We must consider more than the short
> term affect on emergency communications. There are two parts to section
> 97.1, Basis and Purpose for the Amateur Radio Service. While we support
> "providing a reservoir of trained operators" for emergency communications
> we must not forget the other part, "advancing the radio art".
> Hams experiment and build radio systems for exploring new technologies.
> They are self trained and further educated by being allowed to work in an
> environment where there is little pressure other than one's own desire to
> succeed.  Remember "without pecuniary interest".  If ham radio is allowed
to
> turn into just another commercial service most hams will eventually loose
the
> desire to participate.
> 
> Please review the attached MS-Word document and add your own
> comments.
> 
> cc. Chris, WB5ITT
> cc. Dee, N4GD
> cc. Mike, NI4M
> 
> George E. Jones, W4AQR
> Florida Digital & Wireless Society (FDAWS)
> Trustee:  KJ4ARB - D-STAR - 1292.0000 DV, 1252.0000 DD  - 1293.0000 DV,
> 1253.0000 DD
>                                                      444.0000 DV -
147.0100 DV
>                 W4AQR - Analog -     444.6750
> w4aqr at tampabay.rr.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Neil Lauritsen" <w4nhl.1 at gmail.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 12:34 PM
> To: <TARC at hamclub.org>
> Subject: [TARC] FCC Seeks Public Comments on Emergency Communications
> by Amateur Radio and Impediments to Amateur Radio Communications
> 
> > Please read this one! You might not agree especially with my comments
> > so,Your comments are needed.
> > Please take the time to do so.

 http://www.arrl.org/ccr-study-information 
.
> >
> > My second submission:
> >
> > Original by Steve Waterman, K4CJX,  Winlink Development Team and
> > amended (added to by myself)
> >
> > Tnx.
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Neil
> > W4NHL / NNN0TFH
> >