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ARLB006 US House Subcommittee to Consider Amateur Radio Parity Act

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ARRL Bulletin 6  ARLB006
> From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  February 10, 2016
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB006
ARLB006 US House Subcommittee to Consider Amateur Radio Parity Act

The Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301, will be among three bills that the US
House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will consider in a
Thursday, February 11, "markup" session. The subcommittee will gather on
February 10 for opening statements only. When it reconvenes the next day, its
members could vote to send the measure to the House Energy and Commerce
Committee for further consideration.

The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology is chaired by Rep Greg
Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), who, during a January 12 Subcommittee hearing on H.R.
1301, called the measure "a commonsense bill" and urged his colleagues'
support. Subcommittee members may submit in advance any amendments they might
have to any of the bills being considered in the February 11 markup.

The House bill's sponsor, Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) also spoke in favor of
H.R. 1301 at the January 12 hearing, explaining that hams in some
neighborhoods "are outright prohibited" from erecting antennas on their
properties. He cited Amateur Radio's role in emergency communication support,
and said his bill's "reasonable accommodation standard" would not mandate
placement, size, or esthetics regarding an outdoor antenna, leaving ham radio
operators and homeowners associations to decide those issues.

"We just simply add the same standard that has been used successfully in
municipal areas to other areas," he concluded.

H.R. 1301 would direct the FCC to extend its rules relating to reasonable
accommodation of Amateur Service communications to private land-use
restrictions, such as deed covenants, conditions, and restrictions. The bill
has attracted 120 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle. An identical US
Senate measure, S. 1685, has attracted 3 cosponsors. It cleared the Senate
Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation last November.

At the ARRL National Convention February 12-14 at the Orlando HamCation, ARRL
representatives will be on hand to help visitors to generate letters of
support to members of Congress.

More information about the legislation is on the ARRL Amateur Radio Parity Act
web page at, http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act .

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