ARRL

Regulatory & Advocacy

12/18/2019 | FCC Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Julius Knapp Retiring

The chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) Julius Knapp has announced plans to retire on January 3. Learn More
12/17/2019 | FCC Formally Adopts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3-GHz Band, Invites Comments

At its December 12 meeting, the FCC formally adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket 19-348 and invited comments on its plan to remove “existing non-federal secondary radiolocation and amateur allocations” in the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band. Learn More
12/06/2019 | ARRL Asks FCC to Dismiss Petition Seeking Declaratory Ruling on Encoded Message Rule

ARRL has asked the FCC to dismiss a Petition for Declaratory Ruling filed by New York University (NYU), that in ARRL’s view proposes a new interpretation of the rule prohibiting “messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning. Learn More
12/05/2019 | FCC Amending Amateur Radio RF Exposure Safety Rules

The FCC is amending its Part 97 Amateur Service rules relating to RF exposure safety. Learn More

Legislative Activities

ARRL informs lawmakers about the contributions and needs of the Amateur Radio service. Learn More
Regulatory Agencies

ARRL interacts with the FCC and other federal agencies involved in telecommunications policies. Learn More
State Advocacy

The ARRL volunteer Field Organization includes State Government Liaisons (SGL) who monitor state legislation. Learn More
Local Advocacy

ARRL supports local amateurs in representing Amateur Radio in their communities. Learn More

The ARRL Regulatory Information Branch is responsible for interpretations of Amateur Radio regulatory issues. These include:

Concerns about FCC rules and regulations,
Applications for a new or renewed amateur licenses,
Changes of address
Vanity call sign applications and operations overseas

RIB staff maintain and administer:

The Volunteer Counsel, Volunteer Consulting Engineer and Official Observer Programs,
Answer general regulatory questions as well as those on the FCC preemption of RFI,
The ARRL Equipment Insurance and Club Liability Insurance Plans, antenna restrictions and the ARRL Monitoring System,
Edit The ARRL's FCC Rule Book.

Answers to most of your regulatory concerns can be found on these pages or you may contact us for additional information.

Additonal Resources

The ARRL recommends the following publications on regulatory topics:

Antenna Zoning for the Radio Amateur by Fred Hopengarten
Everything you and your attorney need to know to obtain a permit for your antenna support system.

Contact Us -- ARRL HQ Regulatory Staff

Dan Henderson, N1ND

Tel: 860-594-0236
E-mail: reginfo@arrl.org
Fax: 860-594-0259

Administrator, ARRL Volunteer Counsel and Volunteer Consulting Engineer Programs.

Duties include:

General regulatory questions
RFI regulatory information
Antenna restrictions
International operating

Steve Ewald, WV1X

Tel: 860-594-0265
E-mail: wv1x@arrl.org

Field and Regulatory Correspondent, Coordinator: Amateur Auxiliary to the FCC, Administrator: ARRL Monitoring System

Duties Include:

Handling of matters with an existing or potential enforcement issue
Spectrum management (band sharing, frequency coordination information, etc)
Backup of general regulatory inquiries

Note:

Amateurs occasionally ask for ARRL General Counsel to assist with a problem or question. Please note that ARRL's counsels are not employees of the ARRL but are retained to provide services to the ARRL Board and are not available to provide legal advice to ARRRL members. Questions requiring a legal opinion can be asked of an ARRL Volunteer Counsel in your area.

Having Trouble?

Regulatory & Advocacy