[Paham] SPECTRUM BILL COSPONSORS

[WORKSNTV@aol.com]

I've written my letters via e mail--I suggest all of us do the same ;-)

Bob
WB3DYE



HAYNIE URGES MORE LETTERS TO POTENTIAL SPECTRUM BILL COSPONSORS

ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, wants to see more letters urging members
of Congress to sign on as cosponsors of the Amateur Radio Spectrum
Protection Act bills in the US House and Senate. The identical measures,
an ARRL initiative, are on their third try in Congress. Noting that
cosponsor counts have changed little over the past month and that some
lawmakers he's contacted had not yet heard from constituents, Haynie
encouraged more League members to take the effort to write, call or e-mail
their representatives and senators to explain the bills' importance.

"Those letters are everything to a congressperson or a senator," Haynie
said. "Without letters from constituents, we're just spinning our wheels."
Conceding that Broadband over Power Line (BPL) has been taking the
limelight in recent days, Haynie said passage of the Spectrum Protection
Act remains important to the overall future of Amateur Radio.

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.

A sample letter on ARRL's The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of
2003 Web page <http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/arspa.html> cites Amateur
Radio's role in public service activities. The page also contains
information on how to identify and contact members of Congress and links
to the Thomas Web site <http://thomas.loc.gov/>, where the bills' text and
a list of cosponsors are available.

"Just bringing the Spectrum Protection Act to the attention of your
senator or representative is a major help in this effort," Haynie said.
"This is not one of those cases where we're looking for donations. This is
something that you--as a member--can do on behalf of Amateur Radio, and
the most it will cost you is some stationery and a 37-cent stamp."

Those writing their lawmakers on behalf of the Spectrum Protection Act are
asked to copy their correspondence to the League via e-mail
<specbill03@arrl.org>.

HR 713 now has 44 cosponsors, while the identical S 537 has six.
Cosponsorship lends support to legislation while it's in committee, and
Haynie says letters and e-mails from members to their lawmakers remains
the key to getting the legislation passed.