One of the motions the Executive Committee will be offering at the Board meeting is to adopt the following legislative objectives for the 112th Congress:
Objective #1: The ARRL seeks legislation to extend the requirement for "reasonable accommodation" of Amateur Radio station antennas (a requirement that now applies to state and local regulations) to all forms of land use regulation.
Objective #2: The ARRL opposes legislation that would lead to the reallocation of amateur spectrum or to sharing arrangements that reduce the utility of existing allocations.
Objective #3: The ARRL opposes legislation that diminishes the rights of federal licensees in favor of unlicensed emitters or encourages the deployment of spectrum-polluting technologies.
Objective #4: The ARRL seeks recognition of the unique resources, capabilities, and expertise of the Amateur Radio Service in any legislation addressing communications issues related to emergencies, disasters, or homeland security.
Objective #5: The ARRL supports the complementary legislative objectives of other radiocommunication services, particularly the public safety and scientific services that require spectrum access and protection from interference for noncommercial purposes that benefit the public.
Objective #6: The ARRL opposes "distracted driving" legislation that does not clearly exempt two-way mobile radio transmitters or receivers used by licensees of the Federal Communications Commission in the Amateur Radio Service.
Objective #7: The ARRL supports The FCC Commissioners' Technical Resource Enhancement Act to ensure that Commissioners have adequate access to technical expertise when making decisions.
The EC decided to leave the charitable mileage deduction issue off the list. Seven objectives seemed like enough, and while we would support an initiative led by Independent Sector or some other responsible organization representing the interests of charitable organizations this is not an issue on which the ARRL ought to be trying to take the lead.
Dave K1ZZ