Greetings. One of the concerns heard repeatedly from opponents of the ARRL Petition to rescind the symbol rate restriction for HF data emissions is that the membership was not notified of the proposed rule changes. I asked Dan Henderson to please aggregate the publicity given to this issue by ARRL PRIOR to the filing of the petition in mid-November. Dan quickly did this and the results are below (not in date order). It is apparent that this issue was discussed in ARRL media frequently between January and October, 2013. Of these citations, the most thoroughgoing discussion of the rationale for the filing was Dave Sumner's QST editorial in September, 2013, at page 9.

Web citations:

ARRL Executive Committee Okays Filing Symbol Rate Rule Modernization Petition -

Oct 15, 2013

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-executive-committee-okays-filing-symbol-rate-rule-modernization-petition

ARRL CEO Explains Board's Action on Symbol Rate Regulation - July 25, 2013

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-ceo-explains-board-s-action-on-symbol-rate-regulation

ARRL Board Names Award Winners, Okays LoTW Initiatives - July 23, 2013

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-names-award-winners-okays-lotw-initiatives

Symbol Rate Rule Modernization - On the motion of ARRL West Gulf Division

Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV, on behalf of the Ad Hoc Symbol Rate Rule

Modernization Committee, the Board directed ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay,

W3KD, to prepare a Petition for Rule Making with the FCC seeking to modify

§97.307(f) to delete all references to symbol rate. The Petition would ask the

FCC "to apply to all amateur data emissions below 29.7 MHz the existing

bandwidth limit, per §97.303(h), of 2.8 kHz."

The committee determined that the current symbol rate restrictions in §97.307(f)

"no longer reflect the state of the art of digital telecommunications

technology," and that the proposed rule change would "encourage both flexibility

and efficiency in the employment of digital emissions by amateur stations." The

Ad Hoc Symbol Rate Rule Modernization Committee was dissolved with the thanks of

the Board. (In his September 2013 QST "It Seems to Us" editorial, ARRL CEO David

Sumner, K1ZZ, explains the Board's action on symbol rate regulation.)

ARRL Letter July 25, 2013

http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2013-07-25

ARRL Board of Directors Convenes in New Orleans for 2013 Annual Meeting - Jan

31, 2013

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-of-directors-convenes-in-new-orleans-for-2013-annual-meeting

Symbol Rate Rule Modernization Committee ad hoc Committee: Since 1989, when the

FCC's rules concerning symbol rate limitations were codified, digital

communications techniques have rendered these limitations obsolete , As such,

the Board voted to create the Symbol Rate Rule Modernization ad hoc Committee.

This committee has been tasked with evaluating potential modifications to the

Amateur Service rules to permit and facilitate the use and development of high

symbol rate digital communications techniques. The committee will recommend

modifications to the ARRL Board at the 2013 Second Meeting in July.

ARRL Board Minutes for July Meeting - posted August 5, 2013

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/About%20ARRL/Board%20Meetings/2013_Second_Meeting_Minutes_FINAL.pdf

ARRL Committee Reports for July Board Meeting

http://www.arrl.org/committee-reports

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/About%20ARRL/Committee%20Reports/2013/July/Doc_28.pdf

QST Citations:

QST - September 2013 (Page 9)

QST - September 2013 (Page 73)

QST - April 2013 (Page 76)

QST - April 2013 (Page 77)

QST - March 2013 (Page 9)