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 Previous: San Diego ARES Amateurs Stand Down after Wildfires |  Next: Some QSL Card Considerations |
By David Sumner, K1ZZ
November 1, 2007
This month I am asking for a few minutes of your time so I may tell you where the ARRL stands on defending your access, as a licensed radio amateur, to the radio spectrum. Then I am going to ask you a question: Where do you stand?
It's easy to say where the ARRL stands. The ARRL stands up for Amateur Radio whenever and wherever needed.
Are we effective? Yes, we are. But you don't have to take my word for it. Listen to Michael Gallagher, the new head of the Entertainment Software Association.
In July Mr Gallagher was interviewed by Reuters about the problems he faced defending his industry. He said that video game enthusiasts could help by emulating Amateur Radio operators. "They are passionate, they are heard and they are accommodated. If there is one group to look at and say: 'It can be done,' simply look at the Amateur Radio community," he told Reuters.
Here is what led him to hold the Amateur Radio community in such high regard, and why his opinion matters.
In 2001 Michael Gallagher was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information in the Department of Commerce. This is the #2 position in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the agency responsible for administering the federal government's use of the radio spectrum. In 2003 he took charge of the NTIA as Acting Assistant Secretary and held the position of Assistant Secretary and NTIA Administrator from 2004 to 2006.
From that vantage point he observed the ARRL's preparations for the 2003 World Radiocommunication Conference, WRC-03, where Amateur Radio made important gains -- including an unprecedented reallocation of broadcasting spectrum at 7 MHz in Regions 1 and 3 (the entire world outside the Americas). He also was on the receiving end of ARRL lobbying on the issue of radio interference from broadband over power line (BPL) systems.
I and other ARRL representatives met with Mr Gallagher several times while he was at the NTIA. He was obliged to uphold an administration policy of encouraging BPL in the face of mounting evidence that it would contribute nothing to reaching the administration's stated goal of "universal, affordable access to broadband technology by the year 2007." The ARRL's concern was not whether BPL ultimately succeeded or failed, but whether the administration would fulfill its obligation to ensure that BPL systems -- if and when they were deployed -- would not pollute the radio spectrum.
Apparently, our lively discussions made an impression.
Michael Gallagher is right -- we are passionate. But passion is not enough. We must also be patient, because spectrum defense is a never-ending mission. We must be resolute, and not discouraged by the occasional setback. We must be creative, seeking alternate paths to success. Above all, we must be accurate. Credibility is a precious commodity that is too easily lost.
The BPL interference issue is a good example of how the ARRL works on all fronts to protect Amateur Radio.
It was five years ago, on this page in October 2002, that we first identified BPL as a potential source of "radio smog." Since then we have fought for stronger protection against BPL interference in the FCC's rules, and when the FCC failed to go far enough we took them to court -- a huge but necessary financial commitment. We have taken our case to Congress, seeking legislation directing the FCC to do a serious study of the interference issue. We have done our technical homework, verifying the inadequacy of the FCC's rules and documenting violations by irresponsible BPL companies.
But we also have cooperated with reputable firms, helping them to understand the seriousness of the issue and the steps they need to take to avoid problems with radio amateurs. We've made some important gains on that front -- no thanks to the FCC, which (unlike many in the BPL industry) remains more interested in defending its early errors than in correcting them.
As an ARRL member and a supporter or potential contributor to the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund, you are an essential part of the team. Because of members and supporters like you, the ARRL is able to stand up for Amateur Radio -- just as the League has done since its founding nearly a century ago.
The Spectrum Defense Fund is the major source of revenue that is restricted to funding these activities. When you make your contribution of whatever amount fits into your budget, you can be sure that your contribution is spent on these, and only these activities. If you've checked the ARRL audited financial statements that we post on the ARRL website each year, you know that the expenses attached to protecting our frequencies are never fully funded by the Spectrum Defense Fund. Membership dues and other revenues cover the rest. In fact, every penny of income the ARRL receives is devoted to the protection, promotion and advancement of Amateur Radio. It's why the League was created in 1914 and why it exists today.
The year ahead will be another challenging one. In 2008 we will begin preparing for the 2011 World Radiocommunication Conference, addressing the agenda items that will be selected at WRC-07 this fall. We will continue to defend our spectrum access against reallocation as well as against the insidious threats posed by unlicensed devices and systems such as BPL. As we lay plans to work on your behalf to protect our frequencies both at home and abroad, I hope that we can count on your voice and your support for the Spectrum Defense Fund and the comprehensive program the Fund supports, year after year. Please visit www.arrl.org/defense to make your contribution.
Will you stand with your ARRL? I hope you will.
| Previous: San Diego ARES Amateurs Stand Down after Wildfires | Next: Some QSL Card Considerations |
