June 2020 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:29223] Set An Example
by k5ur＠aol.com 30 Dec '21

30 Dec '21

Hi all: As we close the year,I'd like to ask for those who have not made a monetary donation to the League thisyear to please do so. As volunteers, we already contribute our time and effort,but it’s also important for our development efforts to be able to say that allBoard members have made a monetary donation. Oftentimes when seeking donations,especially from major donors, one of the first questions asked is whether allBoard members have given. I've made my annualdonation. I am asking you to please do the same. To make a donation, click onthe link below: https://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form Please help us achieve100% ARRL Board participation. Take a few minutes this weekend and help set anexample. Let's all donate something! Thanks. 73 Rick - K5UR

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[arrl-odv:30337] Fwd: PPP Question
by Michael Ritz 21 Jul '20

21 Jul '20

OK, here is the first question I've received from a member in my Division related to the PPP loan. What is the ARRL "official message" on this issue, and how do I answer this? 73; Mike W7VO > ---------- Original Message ---------- > From: Jerry BOYD <EXLASD(a)msn.com> > To: "w7vo(a)arrl.org" <w7vo(a)arrl.org> > Date: May 21, 2020 at 11:00 AM > Subject: Question > > > Mike > > Supposedly the ARRL applied for a loan under the PPP (CoronaVirus stimulus) . If true that raises two questions in my mind. > > #1. Has the ARRL laid off any employees due to COVID 19? > > #2. Has the ARRL lost income as a result of COVID 19? > > > > I am not opposed to any “business” attempting to offset losses. However I am concerned since the League is a member based “business” as to the justification of such an application if, in fact, one was made. > > > > Thanks > > Jerry > > N7WR > > > > > > Sent from Mail https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986 for Windows 10 > > >

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[arrl-odv:30393] Confidential
by k5ur＠aol.com 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

Hi all: Yesterday evening the Officers received the email below. The Officers have been discussing what to do and decided on the following: 1. Forward a copy to ODV toassure that you knew about it. Perhaps some of you have received a similaremail already or will receive one in the future. 2. Inform the Board thatBarry will engage a PR firm to review and advise on: A.) draft response to theindividual B.) whether we should issuea policy statement to ARRL members and if so what it should say 3. Share the suggestionsfrom the PR firm with the Board so that the Board can decide on any policy actionto be taken. 73,Rick - K5UR -----Original Message----- From: Christopher Broholm <kc3mgf(a)gmail.com> To: K5UR(a)arrl.org Cc: k1twf(a)arrl.org; W6RGG(a)arrl.org; w6rod(a)arrl.org; n1vxy(a)arrl.org; K7GM(a)arrl.org <K7GM(a)ARRL.ORG>; dmiddleton(a)arrl.org Sent: Fri, Jun 5, 2020 7:16 pm Subject: ATTN: ARRL against racial injustice Dear Mr. Roderick and officers of the ARRL, As you’re aware if you’ve watched the news or participate in social media, there has been a large and appropriate response to the murder of Black Americans by police officers taking place over the last several days. Our society is being traumatized by the systemic, institutional racism that pervades the structures that govern and rule our citizenry. Our Black neighbors live in fear every second of every day that their name will be the next that needs to be remembered. That their son or daughter may be the next Black citizen murdered in the streets by people who swore to protect them.As leaders, you have a responsibility to Black ARRL members and hams to openly and loudly affirm that they are safe from racism and discrimination within the ARRL. That you vehemently oppose and condemn the actions of the police officer in Minneapolis who murdered George Floyd in cold blood, along with the hundreds who went before him. I am writing to you as a fellow ham and member of your organization to request that the ARRL take a stance against racial injustice. Events over the last few weeks have caused me to reflect on what organizations I choose to support and what organizations represent me. It has also made me reflect on the hobby as a whole being a predominately white, male hobby. It is imperative, no, necessary that organizations such as yourselves take a firm stance against racism, against police brutality, against the needless killing of black people in America and to take corrective actions to address these systemic issues. Like you, I care deeply for the future of amateur radio and for the ARRL and as such its representative body should be future-facing. I care about, and indeed you should too care about what the ARRL represents. Does it represent the status quo and everything that has brought us to this moment or does it represent the future? We should be working towards a future that empowers black voices and allows them to be heard on the air and off the air. Ask yourself how, for example, a black person interested in amateur radio would feel if the ARRL takes no stance and by its silence tacitly supports the continued genocide of black americans? Saying nothing makes you complicit in the structures of white supremacy, and alienates potential black hams from joining your organization. I want to see amateur radio thrive, and I want it to be more representative of this diverse and beautiful country. That will not happen unless the problem is recognized and addressed by everyone. I implore you to take the following actions towards being inclusive and anti racist: - Release a statement condemning recent instances of police brutality against Black Americans, and affirm your stance as being an organization that aims to be inclusive of all races. - Develop a plan to address systemic racism within ARRL’s organizational structure. Ignoring this is not an option. We do a deep disservice to ourselves by turning a blind eye and pretending that these events aren’t impacting all of us, particularly our Black members and their families.I am asking this of you because I care deeply about amateur radio. We have a responsibility and we must stay true to our values. If the ARRL is truly a great organization to be a part of, we must continue to prove it. Our members deserve this, our culture deserves this. To this end, there are many anti racism educators that make a living by doing this work and it would behoove the ARRL to pay for them to come in and teach on what is happening. I have recommendations and references for these educators.As a member, I’m ready to help craft a response. Please feel free to contact me. I look forward to being part of the response and reminding ARRL members and hams everywhere that we care about their safety, wellbeing, and right to exist and live free from racism and injustice.Sincerely, Christopher BroholmKC3MGF

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[arrl-odv:30501] Board Meeting Motions
by k5ur＠aol.com 06 Jul '20

06 Jul '20

Hi all: Back in May,I sent an email to ODV about some initial thoughts for the board meeting. Ofcourse, things have changed and dates for various state openings and the rulesfor those are a moving target. Because of this, our July, 2020 board meetingwill need to be a virtual board meeting. It may not be an ideal situation andwill certainly be different than we’ve ever experienced, but I think there areways to make it as streamlined and efficient as possible by doing some work inadvance of the meeting. If we can better prepare, we might be able to completethe virtual meeting in one day. This is where I need your help. First, weneed all committee reports to be filed prior to the meeting to allow everyonethe chance to review them and understand any recommendations being made. In addition,I’d like to make a list of all motions that are planned to be presented at themeeting. To do this,we need the Committee Chairs to submit a list of the motions they plan topresent, and for Directors to submit their individual motions in advance with acopy to Carla. Ideally, the actual motion itself would be presented to ODV butif you are still working on the wording, then at least submit the motionsubject you are working on so we have an idea of what to expect. We can then compilea master list to work from on ODV leading up to the Board meeting. Pleasesubmit the motions with the Committee or Director name and a number to allowfor proper organization and tracking. By doingthis, we might be able to consolidate a good number of them in consent agendamotions to save time. For example, we should be able to combine the numerousmotions for awards from PSC into one motion. Likewise, if a Director has amotion, then perhaps ODV could see it in advance and work out any questions andwording before the Board meeting thus saving time. Yourcooperation in compiling this information as soon as possible would beappreciated. Thanks. 73, Rick – K5UR

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[arrl-odv:30502] Re: Electronic signatures
by Bob Famiglio, K3RF 30 Jun '20

30 Jun '20

While I have several nice documents scanners, I am finding that most hams I ask do NOT have scanners, believe it or not. So, sending back an original document one at a time by mail to me is going to have to do for now so I can keep the originals in one place as required. This all was unforeseeable I suppose, but let’s get that archaic rule changed. Bob Famiglio, K3RF Vice Director - ARRL Atlantic Division 610-359-7300 www.QRZ.com/db/K3RF From: arrl-odv On Behalf Of Ed Hudgens Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2020 2:19 PM To: Michael Ritz <w7vo(a)comcast.net>; arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org> Subject: [arrl-odv:30487] Re: Electronic signatures Mike Those of us who are not going out to get signatures are simply sending a pdf copy of the petition to select members and getting them signed scanned and returned. Very simple. No need for electronic signatures. Just sign scan and return. Ed WB4RHQ Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone -------- Original message -------- From: Michael Ritz <w7vo(a)comcast.net <mailto:w7vo@comcast.net> > Date: 6/30/20 1:14 PM (GMT-06:00) To: arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org <mailto:arrl-odv@arrl.org> > Subject: [arrl-odv:30486] Re: Electronic signatures I can put a Director motion together and submit it to Carla. Ria, can you work with me on this to help identify exactly what we will allow for digital signatures? Before I start drafting this up, is there a consensus that it will pass with the required 12 votes? Send me an e-mail off-line and I'll tally them up. If there's enough support among the Directors I'll get started. Assuming the motion gets written, I'll pass it by everybody here before the July meeting. 73; Mike W7VO On 06/30/2020 10:52 AM Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org <mailto:bshelley@arrl.org> > wrote: Ria: My position really hasn’t changed. We recognize that our rules have been outpaced by technology so, to allow us to accept electronic signatures generated by one of the commercial software programs, we need to change the rules. Not a big deal, but it will need a motion at the next Board meeting and because it is a By Law change it will need 12 votes to pass. I don’t think changing the rules in the middle of the election cycle is a problem as it is a response to the current situation with events being canceled and no one traveling. And because it’s an organizational policy, I’m really not the one who has to be convinced (although upon reflection, I’m comfortable with the use of the technology in this case), the Board needs to be comfortable with the technology behind the rule change. We also need to consider not only the method of collecting the signatures, but also how they are transmitted to HQ with the proper paperwork for the nomination. Again, not an insurmountable issue particularly if the software produces a .pdf. I would suggest the way forward is for either the E&E Committee or an individual Board member plan to make a motion at the upcoming meeting. The maker of the motion should circulate it before the meeting so everyone is comfortable and we get any questions answered before the meeting. This will allow for a smooth process. If you would like to have the individual you mentioned early contact me to discuss the technology and how we might integrate it in our processes, I’d be happy to talk to them. 73, Barry, N1VXY From: rjairam(a)gmail.com <mailto:rjairam@gmail.com> <rjairam(a)gmail.com <mailto:rjairam@gmail.com> > Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2020 1:29 PM To: Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org <mailto:bshelley@arrl.org> > Cc: arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org <mailto:arrl-odv@arrl.org> > Subject: Re: [arrl-odv:30449] Electronic signatures Hi Barry, I hope that I’ve sufficiently addressed your concerns re security. Do we have a plan? Ria On Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 3:17 PM Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org <mailto:bshelley@arrl.org> > wrote: Ria: As I see it, if the electronic signature program produces a .pdf that can be submitted along with all the other paperwork (candidate info, etc.) via email, that's half the battle. What will need to change is the By Law and Field Org election rules to specifically allow for collecting signatures, and our accepting those collected, in that fashion. While not wanting to put words in the mouths of the E&E, I would prefer to understand more about safeguards, if any, surrounding falsifying signatures/call signs. What's to keep someone from just creating a document in Adobe Sign or one of the others, and making up 10 signatures with the appropriate call signs? Again, I'm not the technologist. Just asking the question and am willing to be convinced. 73, Barry, N1VXY -----Original Message----- From: rjairam(a)gmail.com <mailto:rjairam@gmail.com> <rjairam(a)gmail.com <mailto:rjairam@gmail.com> > Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2020 10:17 AM To: Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org <mailto:bshelley@arrl.org> > Cc: arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org <mailto:arrl-odv@arrl.org> > Subject: Re: [arrl-odv:30449] Electronic signatures Hi Barry, Thank you for the detailed response. I definitely don't see this being a complicated IT project. The documents using Adobe Sign are mailed as PDFs. Docusign uses a slightly different process. This doesn't require server space or even software licenses. Adobe handles this in the cloud and it is seamless and easy to use. If we already use adobe products (eg. photoshop, acrobat) and have a creative cloud subscription in-house this may already be included for us. But in this case though, ARRL does not need a software license as the candidate has his license and originated the document and collected signatures. All I'm asking for is for the League to recognize this as a valid process rather than requiring paper. I would be more than happy to support a motion, but it may be appropriate for this to come from E&E. I would definitely like this to happen in this cycle rather than just sit and become stale. The candidate has offered to help staff with tech support. He is the head of tech support at a technology company that powers a lot of fortune 500 companies, including one I've worked for and had personal experience with. So he is very much a known quantity. In other words, he is fully willing to take the load off of ARRL IT support to get the staff up and running. Ria N2RJ On Thu, 25 Jun 2020 at 08:59, Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org <mailto:bshelley@arrl.org> > wrote: > > Ria et al: > > Once again, it would appear that technology is moving faster than the ARRL. I've looked through our rules and recent actions regarding nomination petitions. Neither the rules nor the interpretations have considered the use of commercially available software like Adobe Sign, DocuSign and VeriSign. The issue comes down to whether or not we would accept the ultimate paperwork whereby the candidate has collected signatures using electronic means. This is something that, prior to this, has not been contemplated. > > By Law 18 addresses the filing of nominating petitions for Director/Vice Director elections. In part it states ".....The submission may be made by facsimile or electronic transmission of images, provided that upon request by the Secretary the original documents are received by the Secretary within seven days of the request." > > The "rules" I found for Section elections are similar. The Rules and Regulations Concerning American Radio Relay League Division and Section Manager Elections state "....Nominating petitions may be made by facsimile or electronic transmission of images, provided that upon request by the Field Services and Radiosport Manager the original documents are received by the Manager within seven days of the request...." > > In keeping with this, last year's Ethics and Elections Committee confirmed the practice of accepting .pdf copies of nominating petitions where the candidate had collected the signatures by sending the form out for signature and the individual had hand-signed and returned the form to the candidate electronically (pdf). This year's Committee reaffirmed that position. This also assumed that all the individual forms were aggregated and submitted to HQ either by mail or electronically with the other paperwork. While that was for Division elections, I believe it should also apply to Section elections as well. > > This is a long winded way of saying that our current election rules do not specifically address collecting signatures electronically and but they indicate only facsimile or electronic transmission of images (.pdf) are the acceptable forms for submission of nominating petitions. I realize that is not in keeping with the current technologies but it would seem to exclude use of those technologies at the current time. > > Having said that, there may be a way to change this, albeit within the current Division and Section election cycles. The Board could change By Law 18 to include electronic signatures at the upcoming meeting in July. It would take 12 votes as we're within the 30 day window prior to the meeting, but it could be done. > > HERE'S THE CAVEAT: Because I am not personally familiar with the technologies (although I've used them as a signee on many occasions), I can't say with any certainty what it would take to insure our ability to create and/or accept electronically signed documents both from the candidate and from individually signed petitions within an acceptable timeframe. I think we need to work to figure this out before any action by the Board. However, I don't want to add an IT project to the existing list of critical projects and defer resources for this. If this requires ARRL IT time or server space to complete, I would recommend it being deferred to later in the year and dealt with at the January meeting. > > I look forward to discussing this with you and will answer any questions you might have if I can. > > 73, > Barry, N1VXY > > > Message----- > From: arrl-odv <arrl-odv-bounces(a)reflector.arrl.org <mailto:arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org> > On Behalf Of > rjairam(a)gmail.com <mailto:rjairam@gmail.com> > Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 8:35 PM > To: arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org <mailto:arrl-odv@arrl.org> > > Subject: [arrl-odv:30449] Electronic signatures > > One of the candidates for section manager in my division reached out to me regarding electronic signatures. He collected electronic signatures using Adobe Sign and is now being asked to submit "originals" presumably by mail on paper. > > Organizations all over the US and the world for that matter are now accepting these electronic signatures. You sign with a stylus or your finger on your phone and the signature is placed on the document and also recorded in an electronic database. Everyone from the FAA to the FCC, financial institutions and even car dealerships and insurance companies are now accepting them, and VE sessions are being conducted with e-signatures. Our LoTW system is also based on digital signatures, albeit a different type. > > The purpose of this email is twofold. > > 1. Barry - can you clarify if the staff are equipped to handle e-signatures, for, among other things - election petitions, and if not, can we ensure that they are equipped to do so. > > 2. Can we amend the by-laws to clarify that we will accept e-signatures? I would like to have E&E investigate the possibility and sponsor a motion, if needed. > > The need for this is that in times of restrictions due to public health emergencies such as Covid-19 or whatever else gets thrown at us, we can still carry on business with electronic signatures. This person is in New York City and as you know the virus hit hard there. > Traveling around the city to collect signatures (which would usually be done on mass transit) would be difficult due to the risk. > > Thank you for your consideration. > > Ria > N2RJ > _______________________________________________ > arrl-odv mailing list > arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org <mailto:arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org> > https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv _______________________________________________ arrl-odv mailing list arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org <mailto:arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org> https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv

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[arrl-odv:30491] E-signatures motion
by rjairam＠gmail.com 30 Jun '20

30 Jun '20

To the Board, Attached is my motion to amend the by-laws to allow e-signatures. Thanks Ria N2RJ

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[arrl-odv:30449] Electronic signatures
by rjairam＠gmail.com 30 Jun '20

30 Jun '20

One of the candidates for section manager in my division reached out to me regarding electronic signatures. He collected electronic signatures using Adobe Sign and is now being asked to submit "originals" presumably by mail on paper. Organizations all over the US and the world for that matter are now accepting these electronic signatures. You sign with a stylus or your finger on your phone and the signature is placed on the document and also recorded in an electronic database. Everyone from the FAA to the FCC, financial institutions and even car dealerships and insurance companies are now accepting them, and VE sessions are being conducted with e-signatures. Our LoTW system is also based on digital signatures, albeit a different type. The purpose of this email is twofold. 1. Barry - can you clarify if the staff are equipped to handle e-signatures, for, among other things - election petitions, and if not, can we ensure that they are equipped to do so. 2. Can we amend the by-laws to clarify that we will accept e-signatures? I would like to have E&E investigate the possibility and sponsor a motion, if needed. The need for this is that in times of restrictions due to public health emergencies such as Covid-19 or whatever else gets thrown at us, we can still carry on business with electronic signatures. This person is in New York City and as you know the virus hit hard there. Traveling around the city to collect signatures (which would usually be done on mass transit) would be difficult due to the risk. Thank you for your consideration. Ria N2RJ

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[arrl-odv:30496] Re: E-signatures motion
by rjairam＠gmail.com 30 Jun '20

30 Jun '20

Hi Ed, The motion doesn’t specifically require those systems. If a method can produce a verifiable audit trail then that would also work. Ria N2RJ On Tue, Jun 30, 2020 at 2:45 PM Ed Hudgens <ebhudgens(a)comcast.net> wrote: > Not everyone has or wants to purchase full copies of Adobe or similar > programs to be able to send documents for tracable signatures. All we need > is to send out a form. Let then sign scan and return it. If there is a > question the submitter can request the signer send him the original which > he can send in. > > > > Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone > > > -------- Original message -------- > From: rjairam(a)gmail.com > Date: 6/30/20 1:38 PM (GMT-06:00) > To: ODV <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org> > Subject: [arrl-odv:30491] E-signatures motion > > To the Board, > > Attached is my motion to amend the by-laws to allow e-signatures. > > Thanks > Ria > N2RJ >

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[arrl-odv:30495] Re: Electronic signatures
by Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) 30 Jun '20

30 Jun '20

Ed: That is certainly one way to do it and within our current rules. 73, Barry, N1VXY From: arrl-odv <arrl-odv-bounces(a)reflector.arrl.org> On Behalf Of Ed Hudgens Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2020 2:19 PM To: Ritz, Mike, W7VO, (Dir, NW) <w7vo(a)comcast.net>; arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org> Subject: [arrl-odv:30487] Re: Electronic signatures Mike Those of us who are not going out to get signatures are simply sending a pdf copy of the petition to select members and getting them signed scanned and returned. Very simple. No need for electronic signatures. Just sign scan and return. Ed WB4RHQ Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone -------- Original message -------- From: Michael Ritz <w7vo(a)comcast.net<mailto:w7vo@comcast.net>> Date: 6/30/20 1:14 PM (GMT-06:00) To: arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org<mailto:arrl-odv@arrl.org>> Subject: [arrl-odv:30486] Re: Electronic signatures I can put a Director motion together and submit it to Carla. Ria, can you work with me on this to help identify exactly what we will allow for digital signatures? Before I start drafting this up, is there a consensus that it will pass with the required 12 votes? Send me an e-mail off-line and I'll tally them up. If there's enough support among the Directors I'll get started. Assuming the motion gets written, I'll pass it by everybody here before the July meeting. 73; Mike W7VO On 06/30/2020 10:52 AM Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org<mailto:bshelley@arrl.org>> wrote: Ria: My position really hasn’t changed. We recognize that our rules have been outpaced by technology so, to allow us to accept electronic signatures generated by one of the commercial software programs, we need to change the rules. Not a big deal, but it will need a motion at the next Board meeting and because it is a By Law change it will need 12 votes to pass. I don’t think changing the rules in the middle of the election cycle is a problem as it is a response to the current situation with events being canceled and no one traveling. And because it’s an organizational policy, I’m really not the one who has to be convinced (although upon reflection, I’m comfortable with the use of the technology in this case), the Board needs to be comfortable with the technology behind the rule change. We also need to consider not only the method of collecting the signatures, but also how they are transmitted to HQ with the proper paperwork for the nomination. Again, not an insurmountable issue particularly if the software produces a .pdf. I would suggest the way forward is for either the E&E Committee or an individual Board member plan to make a motion at the upcoming meeting. The maker of the motion should circulate it before the meeting so everyone is comfortable and we get any questions answered before the meeting. This will allow for a smooth process. If you would like to have the individual you mentioned early contact me to discuss the technology and how we might integrate it in our processes, I’d be happy to talk to them. 73, Barry, N1VXY From: rjairam(a)gmail.com<mailto:rjairam@gmail.com> <rjairam(a)gmail.com<mailto:rjairam@gmail.com>> Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2020 1:29 PM To: Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org<mailto:bshelley@arrl.org>> Cc: arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org<mailto:arrl-odv@arrl.org>> Subject: Re: [arrl-odv:30449] Electronic signatures Hi Barry, I hope that I’ve sufficiently addressed your concerns re security. Do we have a plan? Ria On Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 3:17 PM Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org<mailto:bshelley@arrl.org>> wrote: Ria: As I see it, if the electronic signature program produces a .pdf that can be submitted along with all the other paperwork (candidate info, etc.) via email, that's half the battle. What will need to change is the By Law and Field Org election rules to specifically allow for collecting signatures, and our accepting those collected, in that fashion. While not wanting to put words in the mouths of the E&E, I would prefer to understand more about safeguards, if any, surrounding falsifying signatures/call signs. What's to keep someone from just creating a document in Adobe Sign or one of the others, and making up 10 signatures with the appropriate call signs? Again, I'm not the technologist. Just asking the question and am willing to be convinced. 73, Barry, N1VXY -----Original Message----- From: rjairam(a)gmail.com<mailto:rjairam@gmail.com> <rjairam(a)gmail.com<mailto:rjairam@gmail.com>> Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2020 10:17 AM To: Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org<mailto:bshelley@arrl.org>> Cc: arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org<mailto:arrl-odv@arrl.org>> Subject: Re: [arrl-odv:30449] Electronic signatures Hi Barry, Thank you for the detailed response. I definitely don't see this being a complicated IT project. The documents using Adobe Sign are mailed as PDFs. Docusign uses a slightly different process. This doesn't require server space or even software licenses. Adobe handles this in the cloud and it is seamless and easy to use. If we already use adobe products (eg. photoshop, acrobat) and have a creative cloud subscription in-house this may already be included for us. But in this case though, ARRL does not need a software license as the candidate has his license and originated the document and collected signatures. All I'm asking for is for the League to recognize this as a valid process rather than requiring paper. I would be more than happy to support a motion, but it may be appropriate for this to come from E&E. I would definitely like this to happen in this cycle rather than just sit and become stale. The candidate has offered to help staff with tech support. He is the head of tech support at a technology company that powers a lot of fortune 500 companies, including one I've worked for and had personal experience with. So he is very much a known quantity. In other words, he is fully willing to take the load off of ARRL IT support to get the staff up and running. Ria N2RJ On Thu, 25 Jun 2020 at 08:59, Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org<mailto:bshelley@arrl.org>> wrote: > > Ria et al: > > Once again, it would appear that technology is moving faster than the ARRL. I've looked through our rules and recent actions regarding nomination petitions. Neither the rules nor the interpretations have considered the use of commercially available software like Adobe Sign, DocuSign and VeriSign. The issue comes down to whether or not we would accept the ultimate paperwork whereby the candidate has collected signatures using electronic means. This is something that, prior to this, has not been contemplated. > > By Law 18 addresses the filing of nominating petitions for Director/Vice Director elections. In part it states ".....The submission may be made by facsimile or electronic transmission of images, provided that upon request by the Secretary the original documents are received by the Secretary within seven days of the request." > > The "rules" I found for Section elections are similar. The Rules and Regulations Concerning American Radio Relay League Division and Section Manager Elections state "....Nominating petitions may be made by facsimile or electronic transmission of images, provided that upon request by the Field Services and Radiosport Manager the original documents are received by the Manager within seven days of the request...." > > In keeping with this, last year's Ethics and Elections Committee confirmed the practice of accepting .pdf copies of nominating petitions where the candidate had collected the signatures by sending the form out for signature and the individual had hand-signed and returned the form to the candidate electronically (pdf). This year's Committee reaffirmed that position. This also assumed that all the individual forms were aggregated and submitted to HQ either by mail or electronically with the other paperwork. While that was for Division elections, I believe it should also apply to Section elections as well. > > This is a long winded way of saying that our current election rules do not specifically address collecting signatures electronically and but they indicate only facsimile or electronic transmission of images (.pdf) are the acceptable forms for submission of nominating petitions. I realize that is not in keeping with the current technologies but it would seem to exclude use of those technologies at the current time. > > Having said that, there may be a way to change this, albeit within the current Division and Section election cycles. The Board could change By Law 18 to include electronic signatures at the upcoming meeting in July. It would take 12 votes as we're within the 30 day window prior to the meeting, but it could be done. > > HERE'S THE CAVEAT: Because I am not personally familiar with the technologies (although I've used them as a signee on many occasions), I can't say with any certainty what it would take to insure our ability to create and/or accept electronically signed documents both from the candidate and from individually signed petitions within an acceptable timeframe. I think we need to work to figure this out before any action by the Board. However, I don't want to add an IT project to the existing list of critical projects and defer resources for this. If this requires ARRL IT time or server space to complete, I would recommend it being deferred to later in the year and dealt with at the January meeting. > > I look forward to discussing this with you and will answer any questions you might have if I can. > > 73, > Barry, N1VXY > > > Message----- > From: arrl-odv <arrl-odv-bounces(a)reflector.arrl.org<mailto:arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org>> On Behalf Of > rjairam(a)gmail.com<mailto:rjairam@gmail.com> > Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 8:35 PM > To: arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org<mailto:arrl-odv@arrl.org>> > Subject: [arrl-odv:30449] Electronic signatures > > One of the candidates for section manager in my division reached out to me regarding electronic signatures. He collected electronic signatures using Adobe Sign and is now being asked to submit "originals" presumably by mail on paper. > > Organizations all over the US and the world for that matter are now accepting these electronic signatures. You sign with a stylus or your finger on your phone and the signature is placed on the document and also recorded in an electronic database. Everyone from the FAA to the FCC, financial institutions and even car dealerships and insurance companies are now accepting them, and VE sessions are being conducted with e-signatures. Our LoTW system is also based on digital signatures, albeit a different type. > > The purpose of this email is twofold. > > 1. Barry - can you clarify if the staff are equipped to handle e-signatures, for, among other things - election petitions, and if not, can we ensure that they are equipped to do so. > > 2. Can we amend the by-laws to clarify that we will accept e-signatures? I would like to have E&E investigate the possibility and sponsor a motion, if needed. > > The need for this is that in times of restrictions due to public health emergencies such as Covid-19 or whatever else gets thrown at us, we can still carry on business with electronic signatures. This person is in New York City and as you know the virus hit hard there. > Traveling around the city to collect signatures (which would usually be done on mass transit) would be difficult due to the risk. > > Thank you for your consideration. > > Ria > N2RJ > _______________________________________________ > arrl-odv mailing list > arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org<mailto:arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org> > https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv _______________________________________________ arrl-odv mailing list arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org<mailto:arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org> https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv

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[arrl-odv:30492] National Field Day Media Coverage
by n2cop＠ec.rr.com 30 Jun '20

30 Jun '20

Dear ODV Members: Wayne Rash, N4HCR, is a contributing writer to Forbes magazine and is also the 2016 winner of ARRL's Bill Leonard W2SKE Professional Media Award in the print category. Yesterday afternoon he got the green light from Forbes to write an article on Field Day, but the deadline for release was 9:00 AM Eastern this morning. Below is his story. Thanks to Co-Interim Communications Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, for providing perspective from ARRL's viewpoint. <https://www.forbes.com/sites/waynerash/2020/06/30/thousands-of-radio-operat ors-band-together-to-practice-for-the-worst/#106f584170c2> https://www.forbes.com/sites/waynerash/2020/06/30/thousands-of-radio-operato rs-band-together-to-practice-for-the-worst/ Also interviewed was former FEMA Directorr Craig Fugate, KK4INZ. Public Relations Committee (PRC) Chairman Sid Caesar, NH7C, and I had several email exchanges and a phone call with Craig throughout the Field Day weekend. He was always receptive, gracious and supportive in postings on Twitter throughout Field Day to his 13,300 followers. Joining him leading up to Field Day was a tweet from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Together, Messrs. Pai and Fugate reached over 90,000 followers, among them prominent policymakers, regulators and agency and elected officials. Attached is a screenshot of Craig retweeting Chairman Pai's tweet. Based on my interactions with Mr. Fugate, coupled with his remarks in his recent Op-Ed article published on The Hill, I believe Mr. Fugate would be willing to become more engaged in helping ARRL to advance its EmCOMM efforts. Despite corona virus restrictions, preliminary citations suggest there was more media coverage of Field Day than was anticipated. A full analysis will be avaiable in the semiannual PRC Committee report in the July board book. 73 de Bill Morine, N2COP Board Liaison to the Public Relations Committee Vice Director - Roanoke Division Representing ARRL members in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia <http://www.arrl-roanoke.org/> www.arrl-roanoke.org Facebook Page: ARRL Roanoke Division ARRL - The National Association for Amateur Radio

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