[Paham] AMATEUR RADIO SPECTRUM PROTECTION ACT TO GET PUBLIC AIRING

[WORKSNTV@aol.com]

The chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the
Internet has agreed to hear testimony on the House version of the Amateur
Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2003, HR 713, at a public hearing later
this spring. Rep Fred Upton (R-MI) this week assured the bill's sponsor,
Rep Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), that the hearing--which will be convened to
address public safety spectrum needs--will include an opportunity for a
member of the Amateur Radio community to appear before the panel. Upton
also told Bilirakis that he shares his interest in protecting Amateur
Radio.

"That indeed is good news!" said ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP. "A
hearing is exactly what we'd like to have in order to state our case, and
I think we can state a good case, too." The date of the hearing has not
been set.

Upton's willingness to hear testimony on the bill is considered critical
to providing it with the credibility it needs as it moves through the
legislative process. It also marks a major step toward getting HR 713
through this Congress.

The agreement, during a meeting of the full House Energy and Commerce
Committee, came after Bilirakis asked to speak prior to consideration of
another piece of spectrum legislation, HR 1320, the Commercial Spectrum
Enhancement Act, which Upton sponsored. During his comments, Bilirakis
spent about five minutes discussing the importance of Amateur Radio to the
committee, chaired by Rep Billy Tauzin (R-LA).

The newest cosponsors of HR 713 include representatives Jerry Moran
(D-KS), John Olver (D-MA), Mike Ross, WD5DVR (D-AR), and Walter Jones, Jr
(R-NC).

The Senate version of the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act, S 537,
recently got a boost when the chairman of the Senate Communications
Subcommittee, Montana Republican Conrad Burns, signed on as a cosponsor.
His cosponsorship indicates that the measure now has his attention and
could convince others to follow suit.

Bilirakis filed HR 713 on February 12, while Idaho Sen Michael Crapo
introduced=A0 S 537 on March 6. The legislation would amend the
Communications Act to require the FCC to provide "equivalent replacement
spectrum" to Amateur Radio and the Amateur-Satellite Service in the event
of a reallocation of primary amateur allocations, any reduction in
secondary amateur allocations, or "additional allocations within such
bands" that would substantially reduce their utility to amateurs.
Bilirakis and Crapo, both Republicans, have twice before sponsored similar
legislation at the League's recommendation. The bills point out Amateur
Radio's volunteer role in providing emergency communication during
disasters and emergencies.

Haynie continues to encourage ARRL members to urge their senators and
representatives and to cosponsor the bills. "Letters and e-mails are the
key to getting legislation passed," Haynie says. A sample letter is
available on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/arspa.html>. Those writing their
lawmakers are asked to copy their correspondence to the League via e-mail
<specbill03@arrl.org>. (For additional information, see "Communicating
with Congress," by Derek Riker, KB3JLF, QST May 2003, p 46.)

The text of HR 713 and S 537 is available via the Thomas Web site
<http://thomas.loc.gov/>.