[SMCARA] Fwd: Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015

[JD Delancy]

Interesting, hope it goes all the way

-------- Forwarded Message -------


    Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Introduced in Congress

*TAGS:* 113th Congress
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:113th%20Congress>, Adam
Kinzinger <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:Adam%20Kinzinger>,
Amateur Radio Parity
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:Amateur%20Radio%20Parity>,
amateur service communications
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:amateur%20service%20communications>,
Amateur Service rules
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:Amateur%20Service%20rules>,
arrl members <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:arrl%20members>,
ARRL National Centennial
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:ARRL%20National%20Centennial>,
ARRL President Kay
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:ARRL%20President%20Kay>,
federal pre-emption policy
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:federal%20pre-emption%20policy>,
H.R. <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:H.R.>, House Energy
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:House%20Energy>, House members
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:House%20members>, league
members <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:league%20members>,
legal protections
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:legal%20protections>, private
land-use agreements
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:private%20land-use%20agreements>,
Radio Parity Act
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:Radio%20Parity%20Act>,
reasonable accommodation
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:reasonable%20accommodation>,
Rep Greg Walden
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:Rep%20Greg%20Walden>,
Technology Subcommittee
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:Technology%20Subcommittee>,
three-part test
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:three-part%20test>

03/05/2015

“The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015” — H.R.1301 — has been introduced
in the US House of Representatives. The measure would direct the FCC to
extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service



-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: 	Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015
Date: 	Tue, 10 Mar 2015 17:08:58 -0400
From: 	JD Delancy <rudas64 at comcast.net>
Organization: 	Chicamuxen Fish or Cut Bait Society
To: 	SMARC <smarc at yahoogroups.com>, SMCARA <smcara at mailman.qth.net>, 
KL7AIR <kl7air at mailman.qth.net>, kl7aa <kl7aa at mailman.qth.net>


communications to private land use restrictions. US Rep *Adam Kinzinger*
<http://kinzinger.house.gov/> (R-IL) introduced the bill March 4 with 12
original co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle — seven Republicans
and five Democrats. Kinzinger also sponsored “The Amateur Radio Parity
Act of 2014, which died at the end of the 113th Congress. H.R. 1301 is
an essentially identical piece of legislation.

“The introduction of H.R. 1301 with so many original co-sponsors, so
early in this session of Congress, is very encouraging,” said ARRL
President Kay Craigie, N3KN. “Several additional members of Congress
already have agreed to be co-sponsors. This bill has momentum, but
introduction is only the first step. Many of the next steps will be
taken as ARRL members contact their US Representatives urging
co-sponsorship and thanking them as they sign on to the bill.”

If Congress approves the legislation, and it is signed by the president,
H.R. 1301 would require the FCC to amend its Part 97 Amateur Service
rules to apply the three-part test of the *PRB-1*
<http://www.arrl.org/prb-1> federal pre-emption policy to include
homeowners’ association regulations and deed restrictions, often
referred to as “covenants, conditions, and restrictions” (CC&Rs). At
present, PRB-1 only applies to state and local zoning laws and
ordinances. The FCC has been reluctant to extend the same legal
protections to include such private land-use agreements without
direction from Congress.

H.R. 1301 has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), chairs that panel’s Communications and
Technology Subcommittee, which will consider the measure. The League had
worked with Walden on the 2014 bill during the 113th Congress.

Among H.R. 1301 initial co-sponsors is Rep *Joe Courtney*
<http://courtney.house.gov/> (D-CT), who attended the ARRL National
Centennial Convention last summer to speak with League officials and
those attending the event about the earlier bill.

Craigie encouraged ARRL members to urge their US House members to sign
on to the bill as a co-sponsor. The ARRL has an *H.R. 1301 resources*
<http://www.arrl.org/hr-1301> page on its website. If the House member
is already a co-sponsor, call the member’s local office or send an
e-mail via the member’s official website to express their thanks. She
called on League members to encourage other hams to do the same, and to
be sure to refer to the bill by its number, H.R. 1301.

“Remember what those pile-ups on the W1AW portable stations sounded like
last year?” Craigie said. “Let’s be that avid in calling for even
greater support in Congress for this essential legislation.”