Here are the minutes as received from the ARRL a couple of days ago. Here are a few of my comments:
- re #3: I would love to hear a detailed explanations of the “important rationals” of the Entry Level License Enhancement petition and the Volunteer Monitor Program, especially the Entry Level License Enhancement petition.
- re #4: Mintz&Hoke, the advertising agency that the ARRL has hired to come up with a lifelong learning project presented a status report. This is the same company that earlier proposed a $400,000 website.
As I’ve said before I really would encourage whoever is in charge of this effort to get some ARRL members to help out with this. If they don’t, I fear we’ll get the usual HQ effort that just doesn’t quite hit the mark. With a little Googling, I discovered that the ARRL has indeed hired a lifelong learning manager: Kris Bickell, K1BIC. K1BIC seems to have extensive experience with online learning, but very little experience in amateur radio. If I’m reading his QRZ.Com page correctly, he obtained his Tech license in July, presumably after he was hired by the ARRL. All the more reason to get some knowledgeable members involved. - re #6: The FCC has not yet replied to the ARRL regarding FCC advisory (No. 2018-3, DA- 18-980) on the importation and use of non-certified radios and the marketing of them to the general public.
- re #9: Changes to the Code of Conduct are coming!
- re #10, 11: It will be interesting to see what changes are going to be proposed to the way that the Ethics and Elections Committee and the advisory committees work.
Respectfully submitted,
Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, ARRL Curmudgeon
Minneapolis Airport Marriott, Bloomington, MN
- The ARRL Executive Committee met at the Minneapolis Airport Marriott, Bloomington, MN on Saturday October 20, 2018 at 8:58 AM CDT with Rick Roderick, K5UR, in the Chair. Present were committee members First Vice-President Greg Widin, KØGW; CEO Howard Michel, WB2ITX; and Directors David Norris, K5UZ; Dale Williams, WA8EFK; Jim Boehner, N2ZZ; Tom Frenaye, K1KI and Matt Holden, KØBBC. Also present were Second Vice-President Bob Vallio W6RGG; International Affairs Vice- President Jay Bellows KØQB; Secretary Barry Shelley N1VXY; General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD; and Assistant Secretary Dan Henderson, N1ND. Also present were Andrew Wood, Grant Sanders, Tim Drugan and Magdalena Owczarska from Mintz & Hoke.
- On the motion of Mr. Norris, seconded by Mr. Williams, the agenda was ADOPTED.
- Mr. Roderick presented the President’s report as general observations of his recent meetings and hamfests. His contact with membership reveals strong member support for the Entry Level License Enhancement petition and the Volunteer Monitor Program. We need to continue to explain in detail the important rationales of these initiatives.
- Mr. Shelley introduced the Mintz & Hoke team to present their status report on the discovery and strategy phase of the lifelong learning project. They led the committee members through several exercises designed to gather data for the project and provided the committee with their research findings to date. They are on track to present final strategies to the ARRL Board at the January 2019 meeting. The Mintz and Hoke visitors left the meeting at 11:10 AM, and the Committee recessed until 11:23 AM.
- Mr. Shelley presented oral remarks as the outgoing CEO and Secretary. Through September, the organization’s gain from operations is ahead of projections. The Committee discussed Headquarters and Organizational orientation for Dr. Michel. Sales of the new edition of the ARRL Handbook are solid. Headquarters response to the fall’s hurricane season has gone relatively well.
- The Committee moved to the report of the General Counsel. Mr. Imlay noted that the Parity Act is still active in Congress as part of the House-passed version of the Financial Services and General Government Authorization Act. The Bill is now before a House and Senate Committee of Conference to resolved differences between the respective passed versions of the FSGG. We are also laying the groundwork for pursuing administrative implementation of the provisions of the Bill should that become the best procedural route before the end of this year.
Discussion turned to the implementation of the new Volunteer Monitor program. We are waiting for final approval from the FCC of the new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Amateur Auxiliary. Discussions are underway with key players for planning the roll out and implementation of the VM program.
FCC has not yet replied to our concerns about the recent FCC advisory (No. 2018-3, DA- 18-980) on the importation and use of non-certified radios and the marketing of them to the general public. Mr. Imlay, Mr. Shelley and Mr. Henderson recently participated in a teleconference with FCC officials about the order and expressed concerns about the portion of the notice that calls on radio amateurs who possess such radios should not to use them. ARRL is of the view that there is no valid legal basis for this portion of the Notice. On the motion of Mr. Norris, seconded by Dr. Boehner, the Committee directed Mr. Imlay to prepare a white paper on the ARRL’s position on this issue to be used to inform members in response to inquiries.
Discussion turned to RM-11815, Wireless Power Transfer for Electric Vehicles. Mr. Imlay was instructed to file comments on the Petition and to evaluate the need for reply comments thereafter.
During a meeting with the Chief and staff of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Mr. Imlay and Mr. Shelley urged more rapid Commission resolution of a series of long-pending rulemaking proceedings now before the Bureau. Most urgent among these are the long-delayed Symbol Rate petition (Docket No. 16-239) and the ARRL Entry Level License Enhancement petition (which has not yet been placed on public Notice since its filing in February)
On the motion of Mr. Frenaye, seconded by Mr. Williams, the Committee directed the National Broadband Plan Committee to continue to monitor potential threats to the 5.850 – 5.925 GHz, 10 GHz, and 24 GHz bands (the Amateur Allocations within the so-called “mid-band” now under consideration by the Commission for fixed and mobile broadband allocation.
- On the motion of Dr. Boehner, seconded by Mr. Frenaye, and on the urgent recommendation of Connecticut legal counsel, it was voted to recommend to the Board of Directors the following change in the Articles of Association:
Article 1: The name of our corporation shall be The American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. It may be informally referred to as ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio. Our corporation commenced its corporate existence as The American Radio Relay League, Incorporated, when its Articles of Association were approved by the Secretary of the State of Connecticut on January 29, 1915. The original Articles of Association were subscribed by Hiram Percy Maxim, Clarence D. Tuska and Lawrence A. Howard. The affairs of the corporation have since that time been continuously governed by a Board of Directors selected by the membership. The Corporation is nonprofit and shall not have or issue shares of stock or make distributions.
The change is the addition of the last sentence and is required by the Secretary of the State of Connecticut to bring the organization’s Articles of Association in alignment with state statutes.
- The Committee next held a brief discussion on Connecticut corporate counsel. Recently, Mr. Shelley has used the firm of Murtha Cullina for several projects. Dr. Michel will work with Mr. Shelley and the General Counsel in continuing evaluation of Connecticut corporate counsel.
- The Committee next turned to the Board directed review of the ARRL Policy on Board Governance and Conduct of Members of the Board of Directors and Vice Directors. Two proposed restatements of that Policy were considered with extensive discussion. Mr. Holden moved, seconded by Mr. Norris that the draft proposal prepared by International Affairs Vice President Bellows, Vice Director Raisbeck and Director Norris (Restatement #1) be recommended to the Board of Directors, with a draft prepared by General Counsel Imlay also be presented as an alternative. After discussion, Mr. Frenaye moved, seconded by Mr. Williams to have Revision #1 reviewed by CT counsel. The motion to amend failed. The main motion was then adopted.
- The Committee received a status update on the review of Ethics and Elections Guidelines, to be presented to the Board in January. The ad hoc committee formed for the purpose will be circulating its proposal 60 days in advance of the January meeting.
- Mr. Norris provided an update on the work of the ad hoc committee reviewing rules and regulations for Advisory Committees. Several recommendations were provided to the Executive Committee for consideration. Mr. Norris will work with the PSC Chairman on implementation of the recommendations.
- On the motion of Mr. Williams seconded by Mr. Norris the new life members presented to the Committee were approved with applause.
- The Committee reviewed a list of ongoing/outstanding actions provided by Mr. Frenaye. Dr. Michel will assume management of the status list moving forward.
- There being no further business, on the motion of Dr. Boehner, and second of Mr. Williams, the meeting was adjourned at 5:57 PM.
Respectfully submitted:
Dan Henderson, N1ND Assistant Secretary
Steve ~ says
So the ARRL board has decided to appoint a newly licensed technician operator to be in charge of lifelong learning… hmmm, I think this decision was another decided in secret thing that ARRL leadership seems to think the members will accept without question or recourse, apparently. This should be an insult to the long time members as there are many more qualified by virtue of their demonstrated level of knowledge in the field of amateur radio. I can understand their (the board’s) desire to institute this life long learning program but they should have chosen an Extra class license holder of some tenure to head this project. This guy may be great as a computer based training guru, but you need expertise at the top to reflect the knowledge of the pinnacle of amateur radio knowledge, unlike this choice whose exposure to the subject consists of passing the technician exam.
Is this yet another circling of the wagons? ARRL is a national organization, not a Connecticut state one, so if Connecticut is forcing these chages perhaps it is time for ARRL headquarters to be moved to a state that will not meddle in the affairs of the vast majority of members who do not reside in Connecticut. The imperial commands of the Connecticut state government should end at the border. Why does this not occur to the leadership of ARRL?
I was going to submit a membership application and pay the $49.00 dues but in view of these developments I am not as inclined to because compliance with Connecticut state laws really isn’t that important to me. I understand that ARRL is supposed to support the hobby as lobbyists in Congress and in FCC matters, but how much of their budget is going to that effort? Fifty bucks isn’t that much but you want to be assured that the place you donate it to is working for you and not against you. With ARRL I am not convinced they really have anyone’s interest at heart except their own. I could be persuaded but for now I have a lot of places to spend that money that will directly benefit me or something/someone I care about.
I really have to question their choice for leader of that life long learning initiative, and anyone who thinks spending $400,000.00 on a website is a great idea. Money is not going to be the answer to every problem. In this case, the ARRL is as an organization flailing about like a drowning man instead of organizing the effort into swimming to the shore. It takes the same amount of energy to do both, so why are they not moving in a positive direction?
Bill says
Let me get this straight. The ARRL wants to field 200 secret, numbered Volunteer Monitors, who will forward ‘patterned reports’ to a bureaucrat at the FCC who has no ham license, who has never set up a station, and who still (after 10 years) can’t correctly interpret our rules?
They’ve also decided that LESS transparency is appropriate in a world clamoring for MORE transparency.
ARRL also wants to usurp private property rights (ARPA) and give HOAs more power over our antennas than they currently have?
They also want to give voice privileges to the Tech/Prepper masses without requiring the requisite knowledge and experience that comes with the privilege. What happened to “incentive” licensing?
Finally, they gave the “Learning” job to a guy who got a ham ticket a few months ago?
Well; that’s it for me. I’m done giving my hard earned cash to an organization with its collective head up its SO-239. I’m a retired government EE (so I’m familiar with bureaucratic stupidity) but I’ve never heard so many bad ideas proposed at one time in my entire 40 years as an amateur licensee.
Bye-Bye ARRL. You’re going down the tubes!