From the 5/1/09 ARRL Letter:
On Wednesday, April 29, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX)
introduced HR 2160 — the “Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009” — in the US House of Representatives. This bill, if passed, would “promote and encourage the valuable public service, disaster relief, and emergency communications provided on a volunteer basis by licensees of the Federal Communications Commission in
the Amateur Radio Service, by undertaking a study of the uses of Amateur
Radio for emergency and disaster relief communications, by identifying
unnecessary or unreasonable impediments to the deployment of Amateur
Radio emergency and disaster relief communications, and by making
recommendations for relief of such unreasonable restrictions so as to
expand the uses of Amateur Radio communications in Homeland Security
planning and response.” The bill has been referred to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce.
If enacted into law, HR 2160, would instruct the Secretary of Homeland
Security to undertake a study and report its findings to Congress within
180 days. The study would spell out uses and capabilities of Amateur
Radio communications in emergencies and disaster relief. The study
shall:
* Include recommendations for enhancements in the voluntary deployment
of Amateur Radio licensees in disaster and emergency communications and
disaster relief efforts.
* Include recommendations for improved integration of Amateur Radio
operators in planning and in furtherance of the Department of Homeland
Security initiatives.
* Identify unreasonable or unnecessary impediments to enhanced Amateur
Radio communications — such as the effects of private land use
regulations on residential antenna installations — and make
recommendations regarding such impediments.
* Include an evaluation of Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of
1996 (Public Law 104-104, 110 Stat 56 [1996]).
* Recommend whether Section 207 should be modified to prevent
unreasonable private land use restrictions that impair the ability of
amateurs to conduct, or prepare to conduct, emergency communications by
means of effective outdoor antennas and support structures at reasonable
heights and dimensions for the purpose in residential areas.
The Secretary of Homeland Security shall utilize the expertise of the
ARRL and shall seek information from private and public sectors for the
study.
The bill currently has five co-sponsors: Madeleine Bordallo (Guam), Mary
Jo Kilroy (D-OH), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) and
Bennie Thompson (D-MS). Representative Thompson currently serves as
Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security. Representatives
Jackson-Lee, Lofgren and Kilroy are members of that committee.
“We understand that Representative Jackson-Lee was very impressed with
the radio amateurs she encountered on a visit to an Emergency Operations
Center in Houston during Hurricane Ike last September,” said ARRL Chief
Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. “We are grateful to her and to the
five original co-sponsors for their support of Amateur Radio and the
encouragement that their bill offers.”
ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, concurred: “We are excited to have
Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee introduce HR 2160. It is extremely
encouraging to have the support of a number of original co-sponsors —
including several members of the House Homeland Security Committee —
who recognize the importance of Amateur Radio’s long history of public
service.”
Karen KD8JUN says
A congressperson I wish I could vote for!