Joel,
the Region 1 EC meeting does indeed have something to do with WRC-03. It is the
last IARU meeting before the WRC. The new Region 1 Chairman, Ole Garpestad,
LA2RR (who you met in Guatemala) has been selected for the Norwegian delegation
to the WRC. I encouraged Ole to run for the position of Region 1 Chairman and he
did so despite the fact that like you, he must balance his volunteer obligations
against a demanding professional position and family responsibilities; he
relinquished the presidency of NRRL, a position that he enjoyed and meant a
great deal to him, in order to be able to devote attention to the IARU. He is
in a younger generation from which we need to draw our future leaders. It
would be worth a weekend of my personal time and a half-day out of the office if
all he wanted was to see my smiling face.
But
there is a bit more to it than that. The Region 1 EC will be discussing possible
candidates for IARU Vice President and input from the International Secretariat
has been specifically requested. I'm sure you can appreciate the desirability of
discussing this in person. Larry considered attending the meeting himself but
after examining his travel schedule determined that he couldn't do it. Larry,
Rod and I discussed the topic on Saturday after the Board Meeting so I have the
benefit of their input.
Another topic that may be much more difficult is that
of the South African Radio League. Relations between SARL and the previous
Region 1 officers were a bit rocky and led to SARL sending a letter of
resignation from the IARU. It's a long story that I would prefer not to take the
time to go into right now, but you probably saw the reference to the issue
in the Summary Record of the November Administrative Council meeting that I
distributed to the Board on December 30. Suffice it to say that having the
largest Amateur Radio organization on the African continent withdraw from the
IARU on the eve of the WRC is something we would like to avoid if at all
possible.
IARU
Region 1 relies on its External Relations Committee (ERC) for representation to
CEPT and ATU. Until now Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM, has been ERC Chairman.
Wojciech is now 70 years old and while he says he is in better health than ever,
he recognizes that he can't keep doing this forever and plans to phase himself
out after WRC-03. PA7BT, his replacement, is young (by amateur radio standards)
and has considerable professional background but is new to the IARU. He has
experience with CEPT but not with ATU. Wojciech has asked me to help him with
regard to an aspect of ATU/IARU Region 1 relations that he and I believe could
be important to our success in June.
Since
you're questioning the wisdom of my attending I am attaching the agenda for the
meeting so you can see what they will be grappling with. It may be immodest of
me, but with 30 years of experience in IARU matters I believe I can contribute
something to the new EC getting off to a productive start, and that this will
work to our long-term best interests. I would ask that you not copy or
distribute the agenda, which is an internal Region 1
document.
I am
responsible for the overall WRC effort. This doesn't mean that I have to call
every play. The ball is carried mainly by the Technical Relations Office
staff, experienced professionals who know their jobs. However, I am
personally involved in the 7-MHz issue as I have been for 29 years.
When Chris and I have our meetings tomorrow I will do most of the talking. I
plan to discuss with John Chwat before I leave whether in his opinion there is
anything useful that can be done on the Hill while I am gone. If he believes
there is, Chris will have the detailed background on the issue
to make the pitch with John. If in John's view the presence of an officer
or director would be helpful, we will certainly not hesitate to ask. This
is in accordance with our overall plan for how we will handle Hill
representation during 2003.
Jon
Siverling will represent ARRL on the US delegation to CITEL PCC.II. IARU
Region 2 will be represented by President Pedro Seidemann, YV5BPG, and Dario
Jurado, HP1DJ.
73,
Dave Sumner, K1ZZ
-----Original Message-----
From:
Harrison, Joel (1st Vice President)
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003
10:22 PM
To: arrl-odv
Subject: [ARRL-ODV:8285] Re:
Washington and 7 MHz
I
still don't have the answers to all of my questions, and I don't feel
comfortable. If for some reason you don't feel comfortable discussing them in
this open forum, then please call me (1st VP) and Jim (Pres) so we all know
fully well what is going on.
To be more specific, who is in charge of this
effort....are you? If so, who is going to be in charge of this effort while you are away
from January 28 through February 11 and for the most part unable to
communicate back from Armenia on a regular
basis?
You know I am a huge IARU supporter, but I have to
question the request, and your acceptance of going to a Region I Executive
Committee meeting during what the board sees as a critical time period in
getting our government to support our position regarding 40 meters at WRC03. I
realize the Region I officer's are new, but they are not new to IARU or
particularly Region I activities and I'm not sure what assistance they are
asking you to provide. Does it have something to do with WRC03?
Who is covering us at the CITEL PCC II meeting in
Orlando?
73 Joel W5ZN
-----Original Message-----
From: Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ
[mailto:dsumner@arrl.org]
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 4:33
PM
To: arrl-odv
Subject: [ARRL-ODV:8284] Re: Washington
and 7 MHz
Joel, the immediate plan is as I outlined toward the end of the Board
meeting. The meetings that Chris and I have set up for Friday carry out most
of it. There's more we can do on the Hill if necessary, but that has a
longer gestation period. In the meantime another possible political
opportunity has arisen that I don't yet feel free to discuss but that looks
to be worth pursuing.
We've stirred up a lot of activity in DoD; much of my Tuesday
morning was spent on the phone with a DoD staffer who had been handed the
ball.
The immediate window of opportunity is before the CITEL PCC.II
meeting in Orlando the first week of February. We're covered at that
meeting. Afterwards we'll see where we are and take the additional steps
that are appropriate.
Dave K1ZZ
Dave,
When I left the board meeting, I felt like we were all on the same
page regarding the urgency and seriousness of addressing this matter. Now,
I'm not so sure we were.
What is your plan here, who is in charge of directing our
resources, and what is the next step to take should these meetings not
produce any positive results?
73 Joel W5ZN
With considerable assistance from Chris, he
and I have appointments on Friday with:
FCC Chairman Powell's Senior Legal Advisor
Bryan Tramont, who handles wireless and international issues for the
Chairman
Frank Williams, Department of State
Nancy Victory, NTIA
There are also some irons in the fire on the
political front.
I am planning to leave for Armenia on
vacation as originally scheduled next Tuesday evening, January 28,
flying home February 11. I have been asked to attend the initial meeting
of the new IARU Region 1 Executive Committee in Amsterdam February
15-17. This involves flying from Boston Friday night, February 14, and
returning Monday afternoon. As that Monday is a holiday, the only time I
will be out of the office as a result of the Amsterdam meeting is Friday
afternoon.
Dave K1ZZ