[K3CAL] ARRL Executive Committee Adopts Mobile Amateur RadioOperation Policy

Monica Noell mnoell1 at verizon.net
Tue Oct 14 16:02:03 EDT 2014


Maybe not new to the experienced hams, but as a brand new one, I 
appreciate this kind of information.  Helps with my education.
Thanks!
Monica
KC3DAS
On 10/14/2014 3:28 PM, Rich Weaver wrote:
> This is nothing new. The ARRL has published information on this 
> subject on many occasions as
> noted in the statements below.
> I'm not sure but I believe the ARRL does not have a lobbyist on their 
> payroll, just some attorneys.
> *From:* David Hardy via K3CAL <mailto:k3cal at mailman.qth.net>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, October 14, 2014 1:24 PM
> *To:* calv-ares at mailman.qth.net <mailto:calv-ares at mailman.qth.net> ; 
> calvert_ares at yahoogroups.com <mailto:calvert_ares at yahoogroups.com> ; 
> k3cal at mailman.qth.net <mailto:k3cal at mailman.qth.net>
> *Subject:* [K3CAL] ARRL Executive Committee Adopts Mobile Amateur 
> RadioOperation Policy
> ARRL Executive Committee Adopts Mobile Amateur Radio Operation Policy
>
>
>   ARRL Executive Committee Adopts Mobile Amateur Radio Operation Policy
>
> Posted date: October 14, 2014in: News <http://qrznow.com/category/news/>
> The ARRL Executive Committee adopted an updated *Policy Statement* 
> <http://www.arrl.org/mobile-amateur-radio-policy> on Amateur Radio 
> mobile operation during its October 4 meeting in Memphis. While 
> agreeing that driver inattention is a leading cause of auto accidents 
> and that concern over driver distraction "is not unreasonable," the 
> policy cites Amateur Radio's 70-year history of two-way mobile 
> operation as evidence that such radio use does not contribute to 
> driver inattention. The policy points out that Amateur Radio operation 
> differs from cell phone communication, in part because the device need 
> not be held to the face to listen, no text messaging is involved, and 
> mobile ham operators only need to pick up a microphone to make "brief 
> and infrequent" transmissions.
> Prompting the policy update is the 2012 federal law "Moving Ahead for 
> Progress in the 21st Century" or MAP-21, which requires states to 
> enact and enforce statutes that prohibit "texting through a personal 
> wireless communications device while driving" in order to qualify for 
> federal grants to support a state's program. The League "encourages 
> the use of the language in MAP-21 in state statutes and municipal 
> ordinances dealing with mobile telephone and mobile text-messaging 
> limitations," the updated policy states.
> Many states already have statutes in place that restrict the use of 
> cell phones and other communication devices to a greater or lesser 
> degree, and several exempt Amateur Radio. A lot of these laws predate 
> MAP-21, however, and because MAP-21 permits no specific exception for 
> Amateur Radio operation, some may need to be revised in order to 
> comply with its requirements. The ARRL is urging states or localities 
> to adopt motor vehicle codes that narrowly define the class of 
> regulated devices, in order to exclude Amateur Radio specifically.
> "Given the necessity of unrestricted mobile Amateur Radio 
> communications in order for the benefits of Amateur Radio to the 
> public to continue to be realized, ARRL urges state and municipal 
> legislators considering restrictions on mobile cellular telephone 
> operation and mobile text messaging to narrowly define the class of 
> devices included in the regulation, so that the class includes only 
> full-duplex wireless telephones and related hand-held or portable 
> equipment," the League policy recommends.
> The ARRL policy suggests statutory language for state and local motor 
> vehicle codes that defines a "personal wireless communications device" 
> as one through which "commercial mobile services, unlicensed wireless 
> services, and common carrier wireless exchange access services are 
> transmitted." This would include such devices as cell phones and 
> anything used for text messaging or paging, but the suggested wording 
> specifically excludes "two-way radio communications equipment, such as 
> that used in the Amateur Radio Service."
> For states or localities considering banning all but hands-free cell 
> phone use, the ARRL recommended wording that would prohibit the use of 
> a personal wireless communications device "in any manner" while 
> driving, unless the motorist is using hands-free capability. The 
> suggested statutory language would not apply to anyone using the 
> device while the vehicle is parked or "to contact or receive calls 
> from an emergency response vehicle or agency."
> ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, *addressed* 
> <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/QST/This%20Month%20in%20QST/November%202013/It%20Seems%20to%20US.pdf> 
> the issue in his November 2013 /QST/"It Seems to Us" editorial, 
> "Distracted Driving Legislation: Proceed with Caution." In the 
> editorial, Sumner wrote, "For decades, radio amateurs have been 
> operating while driving without being perceived as a threat to highway 
> safety. In the face of legislation to ban unsafe practices such as 
> texting while driving it is natural to want clear exemptions for 
> Amateur Radio --- but beware of unintended consequences."
> Sumner described one of those "unintended consequences" relating to 
> Connecticut's distracted driving statute, which the National Highway 
> Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advised was not in compliance 
> with MAP-21, because its Amateur Radio exception was not one of the 
> three permitted under the law. Connecticut revised its law in 2013 to 
> limit the use of a hand-held radio by an Amateur Radio operator to 
> emergencies only --- "exactly what we were hoping to avoid," Sumner wrote.
> As further evidence of Amateur Radio's mobile safety record, the 
> policy points to a 2009 letter to the ARRL from the National Safety 
> Council. In the letter, the Council said it neither had nor was aware 
> of evidence that using Amateur Radio or two-way radio while driving 
> posed significant crash risks. "Until such time as compelling, 
> peer-reviewed scientific research is presented that denotes 
> significant risks associated with the use of amateur radios, two-way 
> radios or other communication devices, the NSC does not support 
> legislative bans or prohibition on their use," the Council said.
> A 1994 joint congressional resolution expressed support for Amateur 
> Radio as national policy and declared that "reasonable accommodation 
> be made" for effective Amateur Radio operation "from residences, 
> private vehicles, and public areas," and that laws should "facilitate 
> and encourage Amateur Radio operation as a public benefit."
> Source:
> http://www.arrl.org/
> Mobile Amateur Radio Operation Policy
> David Hardy
> davehardy0101 at aol.com <mailto:davehardy0101 at aol.com>
> KB3RAN
>
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