Jim: I was out of the country for over a week recently and am still getting caught up on email. I wanted to reply to this one you wrote about your Washington trip. I think it's really important, but just couldn't get back to it before now. Thanks for the info. _____________________ In a message dated 6/30/03 11:15:18 AM Central Daylight Time, W5JBP@aol.com writes: << What I need to share is two meetings that were at the FCC building. One was on June the 11th where I went by myself and visited with, shall we say, a high ranking staff person. It was an off the record meeting as I wanted to test the waters and express some disappointment on how our filings have just gone no where. This meeting was good and I felt that my complaints were well received, the question is will they do any good.>> .......... I've been on this Board long enough to talk like an old man. I've seen several ARRL Presidents and every one of them has had similar meetings, and they each got burned at one point or another and you know it. If I recall correctly, you even got burned once before, too. I don't put much stock in such meetings with the FCC. I don't trust them and this Board has heard me say that numerous time, and justifiably so. Nobody on this Board should be pleased with our relations with the FCC. Nobody. They pat the ARRL Presidents on the behind, give them some lip service, say things we want to hear, make us feel good, and send us on our way. We are like a pesky knat (sp?). I know you spend a lot of time on FCC matters, Jim, and I appreciate that, but ...... << The second meeting was with Chris Imlay and we met with D'Wana Terry, Chief of the Wireless Bureau. Both Chris and I brought up the fact that some of our stuff was over two and a half years old, and this was just not acceptable. Again, I have no way of knowing if this will be effective, but at least two people in high places know that we are not happy. I think that my private meeting the day before will produce more results than the latter.>> ..................................... What the heck took us so long to go knock on her door? We should have been pounding on it months ago. It reminds me of that time years ago the FCC sat on its butt on some important issue, and we danced around, was concerned about bothering them, and we waited and waited to the point it was just ridiculous. It was childish but you might recall, although you weren't Pres at the time, that I was wanting to publish the phone number, office and home, of the FCC contact person, whoever it was back then, and have all amateurs call him! I mean, don't ya ever just say enough is enough? We've been told one thing and then another about all our stuff sitting on a desk up there with D'Wana Terry. Uh, let's see..... anybody recall what our buddy Cross told us? Oh, but how many times has he changed his tune? And we just keep waiting and waiting. We're the nice guys. You did a good job on testimony on the hill. Recall that Congressman said we are a "communications militia." Maybe we ought to start publishing phone numbers and email addresses of some key FCC folks and turn that militia loose on them. Tork'em off? So, what have we got to lose? Some relationships? So? Good grief! If they were that good now we wouldn't be sucking wind and taking it on the chin. I'd like us to be more aggressive, professionally of course. I want to talk about this more at the Board meeting, too. 73, Rick - K5UR