SB QST @ ARL $ARLB006
ARLB006 US House Subcommittee to Consider Amateur Radio Parity Act

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ARRL Bulletin 6  ARLB006
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  February 10, 2016
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB006
ARLB006 US House Subcommittee to Consider Amateur Radio Parity Act

The Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301, will be among three bills
that the US House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will
consider in a Thursday, February 11, "markup" session. The
subcommittee will gather on February 10 for opening statements only.
When it reconvenes the next day, its members could vote to send the
measure to the House Energy and Commerce Committee for further
consideration.

The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology is chaired by Rep
Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), who, during a January 12 Subcommittee
hearing on H.R. 1301, called the measure "a commonsense bill" and
urged his colleagues' support. Subcommittee members may submit in
advance any amendments they might have to any of the bills being
considered in the February 11 markup.

The House bill's sponsor, Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) also spoke in
favor of H.R. 1301 at the January 12 hearing, explaining that hams
in some neighborhoods "are outright prohibited" from erecting
antennas on their properties. He cited Amateur Radio's role in
emergency communication support, and said his bill's "reasonable
accommodation standard" would not mandate placement, size, or
esthetics regarding an outdoor antenna, leaving ham radio operators
and homeowners associations to decide those issues.

"We just simply add the same standard that has been used
successfully in municipal areas to other areas," he concluded.

H.R. 1301 would direct the FCC to extend its rules relating to
reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service communications to
private land-use restrictions, such as deed covenants, conditions,
and restrictions. The bill has attracted 120 cosponsors from both
sides of the aisle. An identical US Senate measure, S. 1685, has
attracted 3 cosponsors. It cleared the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation last November.

At the ARRL National Convention February 12-14 at the Orlando
HamCation, ARRL representatives will be on hand to help visitors to
generate letters of support to members of Congress.

More information about the legislation is on the ARRL Amateur Radio
Parity Act web page at, http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act
. 
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