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 Previous: Montana Hams Stand Down, Remain on Alert as Montana Wildfires Continue |  Next: FCC Amateur Radio Enforcement Letters for the Period Ending Aug 9, 2003 |
 ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, chats before the June 11 subcommittee hearing with HR 713 sponsor Rep Michael Bilirakis (R-FL). Looking on is Bilirakis' chief of staff, Rebecca Hyder. [Derek Riker, KB3JLF, Photo] |
NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 12, 2003--ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, wants more members to urge their members of Congress to sign on as cosponsors of the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act bills in the US House and Senate. The identical measures, an ARRL initiative, are on their third try in Congress. Noting that cosponsor counts have changed little over the past month and that some lawmakers he's contacted had not yet heard from constituents, Haynie encouraged more League members to take the effort to write, call or e-mail their representatives and senators to explain the bills' importance.
"Those letters are everything to a congressperson or a senator," Haynie said. "Without letters from constituents, we're just spinning our wheels." Haynie said ARRL "can do the mechanics" of getting the bills into the legislative hopper, but it can't get them into law without membership support. He conceded that Broadband over Power Line (BPL) has been taking the limelight in recent days, but he said passage of the Spectrum Protection Act remains important to the overall future of Amateur Radio.
The Spectrum Protection Act would require the FCC to provide "equivalent replacement spectrum" to Amateur Radio if the FCC reallocates primary amateur frequencies, reduces any secondary amateur allocations, or makes additional allocations within such bands that would substantially reduce their utility to amateurs.
Congress is in recess until September 2, but Haynie said it's still possible to contact senators and representatives through their Washington or district offices. A sample letter on ARRL's The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2003 Web page cites Amateur Radio's role in public service activities, but Haynie invites members to personalize their own correspondence as they see fit.
"Just bringing the Spectrum Protection Act to the attention of your senator or representative is a major help in this effort," Haynie said. "This is not one of those cases where we're looking for donations. This is something that you--as a member--can do on behalf of Amateur Radio, and the most it will cost you is some stationery and a 37-cent stamp."
The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2003 Web page also contains information on how to identify and contact individual members of Congress as well as links to the Thomas Web site, where, among other things, the bills' text and a list of cosponsors is available. Those writing their lawmakers on behalf of the Spectrum Protection Act are asked to copy their correspondence to the League via e-mail.
The House version of the bill, HR 713, now has 44 cosponsors, while the identical Senate version, S 537, has six cosponsors. Cosponsorship lends support to legislation while it's in committee, and Haynie says letters and e-mails from members to their lawmakers remains the key to getting the legislation passed.
HR 713 has been referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Testifying before that panel June 11 on the bill's behalf, Haynie told the subcommittee that hams have lost more than 100 MHz of VHF and UHF spectrum over the past 15 years and that another nearly 360 MHz of VHF and UHF spectrum "has been substantially compromised." S 537, has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Florida Rep Florida Rep Michael Bilirakis filed HR 713 on February 12. The measure's most recent cosponsors include US representatives Joe Wilson (R-SC), John T. Doolittle (R-CA), Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) and Frank Pallone Jr (D-NJ).
Idaho Sen Michael Crapo introduced S 537 on
March 6. The latest lawmaker to sign aboard is Sen Blanche Lincoln (D-AR).
| Previous: Montana Hams Stand Down, Remain on Alert as Montana Wildfires Continue | Next: FCC Amateur Radio Enforcement Letters for the Period Ending Aug 9, 2003 |
