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| The award-winning monthly publication of The Baltimore Radio Amateur Television Society P.O.Box 5915 Baltimore, MD 21282-5915 |
November, 2009
Attention All Amateurs...
Senate Introduces Companion Bill to HR 2160
On Tuesday, October 6, Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT), along with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME),
introduced Senate Bill 1755, The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009.
Similar to HR 2160 -- also called The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009 –
that was introduced this past April by Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX-18), the bill, if passed, would
direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to undertake a study on emergency communications.
S 1755 points out that "There is a strong Federal interest in the effective performance of Amateur Radio
Service stations, and that performance must be given -- (A) support at all levels of government; and
(B) protection against unreasonable regulation and impediments to the provision of the valuable
communications provided by such stations."
FCC Issues Public Notice on Amateur Service Communication During Government Disaster Drills On Tuesday October 20, 2009 the FCC released a Public Notice clarifying the Commission's rules relating to the use of Amateur Radio by licensed amateurs participating in drills and exercises on behalf of their employers. Entitled Amateur Service Communications During Government Disaster Drills, the Public Notice addresses participation by paid employees of organizations taking part in drills. The Public Notice -- DA 09-2259 -- affirms that the Commission's rules "specifically prohibit amateur stations from transmitting communications 'in which the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an employer.'"The Public Notice states that, in order to facilitate participation by employees who wish to engage in government-sponsored drills and emergency exercises on behalf of their employers, a waiver can be requested from the WTB by the government agency sponsoring the drill or exercise (and not by the individual who wishes to participate in the drill or exercise) be filed and acted upon in advance of the drill. The waiver must be actually granted by the Commission before the amateurs participate in the drill. It is not enough to apply -- the waiver must be granted first.
California Firm Fined $4000 for Operating on Amateur Frequencies
On September 28, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) to a California firm
that the Commission maintains was using amateur frequencies to conduct business. According to the
Commission, Shimmick Construction Company Inc/Obayashi Corporation, Joint Venture licensees
of stations WQER756, WQEN793, WQJI360 and WQKG818 -- apparently repeatedly violated Section
1.903(a) of the Commission's Rules "by failing to operate only in accordance with the rules applicable to
their particular service as set forth in the Commission's Rules and with a valid authorization granted by
the Commission."
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| November, 2009 |  |
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