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Irving, Texas -- November 11, 2000
1. Approval of minutes of July 20, 2000, Executive Committee meeting
2. FCC matters
3. General legal matters
4. Antenna matters
5. Legislative matters
6. International matters
7. Organizational matters
8. Recognition of new Life Members
9. Affiliation of clubs
10. Approval of conventions
11. Date and place of next EC meeting
12. Other business
Pursuant to due notice, the Executive Committee of the American Radio Relay League, Inc., met at 8:30 AM Saturday, November 11, 2000, at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott Hotel, Irving, Texas. Present were the following committee members: President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, in the Chair; First Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN; Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ; and Directors Frank Butler, W4RH, Frank Fallon, N2FF, Tom Frenaye, K1KI, and Fried Heyn, WA6WZO. Also present were International Affairs Vice President Rodney J. Stafford, W6ROD, and General Counsel Christopher D. Imlay, W3KD.
1. On motion of Mr. Butler, the minutes of the July 20, 2000, Executive Committee meeting were approved in the form in which they had been distributed.
2. FCC matters were reviewed as follows:
2.1. Mr. Imlay reported on the status of the FCC Ultra-Wideband (UWB) proceeding, ET Docket 98-153. The ARRL filed reply comments on October 27. Others share our concerns about interference to conventional systems from UWB systems, particularly at frequencies below 2.5 GHz. The FCC has acknowledged that compatibility tests are underway but has declined to postpone the comment deadline until after they are completed. The ARRL is working with the UWB Lab at the University of Southern California to test compatibility with 1.2-GHz amateur equipment.
2.2. The ARRL submitted comments in response to an FCC Notice of Inquiry in ET Docket 00-47, software defined radios (SDR). It is not anticipated that the FCC will issue rulemaking proposals on the subject any time soon. In any event, no rules presently preclude amateur experiment with SDR.
2.3. Mr. Haynie reported briefly on his trip to Washington, DC, in mid-September. A luncheon meeting with amateurs who are employed in various capacities in the nation's capital was very productive and will be repeated early next year.
2.4. Mr. Imlay reported on behalf of the Ad Hoc Spectrum Strategy Committee. This group was appointed in September by President Haynie to address problems arising from the proliferation of Part 15 devices operating above 30 MHz. The committee expects to deliver its report prior to the 2001 Annual Meeting of the Board. An FCC request for nominations to its Technological Advisory Council was discussed. It was agreed that President Haynie is authorized to decide, in consultation with the Spectrum Strategy Committee and Executive Vice President Sumner, whether the ARRL should make a nomination.
2.5. Mr. Imlay reported that he is working to complete a draft petition to renew our request for an upgrade of the amateur service allocation 2300-2305 MHz from secondary to primary. The best time to submit the petition will be after the FCC disposes of a competing proposal for this spectrum.
2.6. Mr. Imlay gave an optimistic report with regard to the prospects for favorable FCC action on RM-9949, an ARRL petition that seeks upgrading of the amateur and amateur-satellite allocation at 2400-2402 MHz from secondary to primary.
2.7. There was little new to report with regard to the efforts by public safety agencies in Los Angeles to gain access to 2402-2450 MHz for television downlinks from helicopters. Special temporary authorization was granted for operation during a political convention, but operation was very limited and provided no useful evidence with regard to whether sharing with amateurs was practical.
2.8. FCC action is expected soon on the ARRL petition, RM-9404, filed October 22, 1998, seeking amateur access to low-frequency (LF) spectrum. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is anticipated that will propose the allocation of at least a part of the spectrum being sought.
2.9. At Minute 62 of the 2000 Second Meeting of the Board a motion was adopted directing the filing "at the appropriate time" of a petition to permit spread spectrum emissions in the bands 219-220 and 222-225 MHz. After discussion it was agreed that this is not the appropriate time to file.
2.10. Mr. Imlay reported that the FCC has granted a waiver of §97.207(g)(1) to permit operation from the International Space Station (ISS) without the 27-month advance notification required by the rules. He observed that §97.113(e), which permits the retransmission, under certain conditions, of United States government communications between a space shuttle and its associated Earth stations, does not extend to the ISS.
2.11. Mr. Imlay reported that a decision is expected soon on the ARRL petition for reconsideration of the FCC's denial of RM-8763, our request for clarification and extension of the PRB-1 preemption policy. Some language in the First Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in WT Docket 99-217, concerning the promotion of competitive networks in local telecommunications markets, may be helpful to us.
The committee was in recess for luncheon from 11:50 AM to 1:09 PM.
2.12. Mr. Imlay reported that the FCC is expected to act by the end of the year on pending petitions for reconsideration of various aspects of WT Docket 98-143, the amateur license restructuring proceeding. It was noted that while the ARRL had proposed refarming of the Novice bands as a part of its restructuring package, the FCC had declined to take up the possible repartitioning of the HF bands until later. While the time is not yet ripe to raise the issue again with the FCC, the Board should consider in January how it wishes to solicit membership input. On motion of Mr. Heyn, it was voted to add the matter as an agenda item for the 2001 Annual Meeting of the Board.
2.13. Mr. Haynie requested a detailed progress report, prior to the January meeting of the Board, on the 5-MHz experimental operations being conducted in support of a possible amateur allocation.
2.14. Mr. Imlay reported that the FCC is expected to issue a Public Notice shortly, announcing the appointment of the ARRL and others as club and military recreation station call sign administrators.
2.15. The committee briefly discussed the status of FCC enforcement activities, noting that a particularly difficult case in the New York City area is not yet satisfactorily resolved.
3. Mr. Imlay reported briefly on the status of draft revisions of certain memoranda of understanding to which the ARRL is a party.
4. Mr. Imlay reported for the Antenna Case Funding Review/Assistance Committee. Unfortunately, the first request brought to the committee for consideration fell outside the guidelines for assistance and had to be declined.
5. Legislative matters were reviewed briefly as follows:
5.1. Mr. Sumner observed that HR 783 and S 2183 were not likely to be enacted during the "lame duck" session of Congress that will follow the elections. The principal sponsors of both bills are returning for the 107th Congress in January and probably will be willing to reintroduce the legislation if requested to do so.
5.2. The ARRL legislative agenda for 1999-2000 has been circulated to the Board with a request for suggested changes for 2001-2002. The Board will be asked to approve an updated legislative agenda in January.
5.3. Legislative restrictions on the use of cellular telephones by the drivers of vehicles were discussed briefly. Mr. Fallon observed that an effort is under way in New Jersey to exempt amateur operation from the effects of such legislation.
6. International matters were discussed as follows:
6.1. Mr. Stafford reported on the IARU Region 3 Conference in Darwin. The conference reaffirmed its endorsement of the objective of a 300-kHz worldwide amateur allocation at 7 MHz. The conference also adopted a resolution calling for the removal of Morse code testing as an ITU requirement for an amateur license to operate below 30 MHz. Consistent with existing Board policy, the ARRL voted against the resolution. The issue is expected to be raised again at the Region 2 Conference in Guatemala in October 2001. On motion of Mr. Heyn, it was voted to place the issue on the agenda for consideration at the 2001 Annual Meeting of the Board.
6.2. Mr. Stafford noted that the Region 2 Conference also will consider a proposal to revise the Region 2 Constitution and Bylaws and will elect regional officers and executive committee members for the 2001-2004 term. As a member of the Region 2 Executive Committee, he is encouraging strategic planning and partnerships between the larger societies and the smaller ones to encourage more activity by the latter.
6.3. Mr. Stafford and Mr. Sumner reported briefly on preparations for WRC-2003. Mr. Stafford's focus is on developing support for the amateur 7-MHz position within Region 2. Mr. Sumner has been named to the core IARU delegation to the conference.
7. Organizational matters were considered as follows:
7.1. Proposed amendments to the Articles of Association and Bylaws to make their language gender-neutral have been circulated to the Executive Committee for comment. Comments received will be incorporated and a revised draft circulated. Mr. Heyn noted that work on proposed amendments to Article 11 with regard to eligibility to hold ARRL office is ongoing, but is not yet ready for presentation.
7.2. Mr. Heyn asked that staff make greater effort to ensure that each director receives copies of relevant correspondence with the members of his division.
7.3. Mr. Haynie noted with pleasure the recent increase in ARRL membership and congratulated staff on the efforts that have led to this result.
8. On motion of Mr. Butler, 59 newly elected life members were recognized and the Secretary was instructed to list their names in QST.
9. On motion of Mr. Heyn, the following clubs were declared affiliated or their earlier affiliation by mail vote was ratified:
Category 1
Arizona Amateurs on Television Club, Glendale, AZ
Bayou Contest Club, Hammond, LA
Jersey Coast DX Association, Bradley, NJ
Memphremagog Amateur Radio Society, Derby Line, VT
Montgomery Amateur Radio Society, Robbins, NC
Platte Valley Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Torrington, WY
Raytheon Radio Club, Greenville, TX
Rensselaer Amateur Repeater Association, Rensselaer, NY
Southeast Arkansas Radio Club, Monticello, AR
St. John Valley Amateur Radio Association, Grand Isle, ME
Tri County Amateur Radio Club, Basin, WY
Category 2
Gulf Coast DX Association, Semmes, AL
OMIK Amateur Radio Association, Inc., Florissant, MO
Category 3
Connecticut Amateur Radio League of Youth, Bloomfield, CT
The ARRL now has the following numbers of active affiliated clubs: Category 1, 1924; Category 2, 26; Category 3, 145; Category 4, 16; Total, 2111.
10.On motion of Mr. Butler, the holding of the following ARRL conventions in 2001 was approved or their earlier approval by mail vote was ratified:
NYC/LI Section, Jan 21, North Babylon, NY
Mississippi State, Feb 2-3, Jackson, MS
Tennessee State, Feb 10-11, Memphis, TN
Roanoke Division, Mar 10-11, Charlotte, NC
Nebraska State, Mar 30-31, Norfolk, NE
San Francisco Section, Jun 23-24, Ferndale, CA
11. It was agreed that the next meeting of the Executive Committee would be held at the call of the President.
12. On motion of Mr. Fallon, it was voted that the Executive Committee congratulates and thanks the ARRL staff members whose work resulted in the new Web pages and the new look in QST that were initiated this year.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:29 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
David Sumner, K1ZZ
Secretary
