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January 20, 2004
For Further Information Contact: Wayne Mills, N7NG
225
Main Street, Newington CT USA 06111
Telephone: 860-594-0291
Telefax: 860-594-0259
Internet: n7ng@arrl.org
At its January meeting in Windsor, Connecticut, the ARRL Board of Directors removed paragraph 1.c) from the criteria for determining a DXCC Entity. This provision, implemented in 1998 as part of the DXCC 2000 Program, had provided that "An Entity will be added to the DXCC List as a Political Entity if it ...has a separate IARU Member Society." Since that time, the rule has allowed for the addition of four new DXCC Entities and the retention of one existing Entity.
At the time it was not expected that this would create difficulties with the administration of the IARU. Unfortunately, the provision has had the unintended consequence of stimulating applications for IARU membership that do not further the objectives of the IARU, creating an unfortunate and unnecessary administrative burden.
The rule change will have no effect on those Entities created by or as the result of the rule. According to DXCC Rule II, 5. C), "A change in the DXCC Criteria shall not affect the status of any Entity on the DXCC List at the time of the change."
The other two criteria for the determination of a Political Entity for DXCC continue in effect:
a) The entity is a UN Member State.
b) The entity (except international organizations) has been assigned a callsign prefix block by the ITU.
The text of the Board resolution reads:
WHEREAS, the DXCC 2000 program adopted by the Board in 1998 included changes to the criteria for a DXCC entity, and
WHEREAS, one of the new criteria makes separate IARU membership the basis for determination of a "political entity," and
WHEREAS, this rule has served a constructive purpose with respect to existing IARU societies, but
WHEREAS, the rule also has had unforeseen consequences in creating an incentive for the creation of proposed IARU societies that do not further the objectives of the IARU, and
RECOGNIZING that elimination of the rule has no effect on the DXCC entities that already have been created as a result of the rule,
RESOLVED, that the DXCC rules are hereby amended by deleting IARU membership as a basis for determination of a "political entity."
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