New FCC bureau may take over some WTB functions
When the FCC meets in open session Friday, March 17, it will consider an Order--as yet not made public—
to create a new Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. Observers anticipate that this new bureau will
take over at least some of the functions of the current Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB), which
administers the Amateur Service. The last changes affecting the functions of the WTB occurred in 2003.
While the reorganization has been several months in the planning, it's not yet clear whether the Amateur
Service will remain under WTB or become part of the new Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
Moving it out of the WTB would take the Amateur Service from under that bureau's market-based approach
to regulation. Either way, it's hoped that shifting some of the current WTB's responsibilities to the new
bureau will speed the process of moving proceedings through the Commission.
Maryland CC&R Bills Proceeding Slowly Through General Assembly
Tom Coates, N3IJ, of the Baltimore Amateur Radio Club (BARC) Legislative Affairs Team reports that
legislation to address the impact of homeowners' association covenants, conditions and restrictions
(CC&Rs) is working its way slowly through the Maryland General Assembly. Similar measures have been
introduced in both the Maryland House of Delegates (HB 296) and the Senate (SB 75), but Section
leadership acknowledges that neither bill appears likely to succeed this time around.
Mississippi Becomes 22nd State to Adopt PRB-1 Statute
After several earlier tries, Mississippi this week became the 22nd state to enact a revision of the its statutes
to incorporate the language of the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1. Mississippi Gov Haley
Barbour signed the bill March 13, reports ARRL Mississippi Section Manager Malcolm Keown, W5XX.
Echoing the language of PRB-1, the measure calls on localities establishing ordinances regulating antenna
placement, screening or height to "reasonably accommodate" Amateur Radio communication. The
Mississippi law also takes note of Amateur Radio's communication support in emergencies and disasters.
Radio Shack to Close 400-700 Stores
RadioShack Corp. of Fort Worth, Texas, said Friday that it will close 400-700 company-owned stores, but
a company spokesman added that the retailer had not decided which specific stores it would shutter.
The spokesman told Arkansasbusiness.com that it would be six to eight weeks before the company
decided which stores it would close. He noted that only company-owned stores, and not dealer-franchised
stores, would be on the chopping block. Across the country, RadioShack operates about 5,000 stores itself.
It has between 1,500 and 1,800 dealer-franchise locations, the spokesman said.RadioShack announced
the closings in its fourth-quarter and fiscal-year earnings release, which reported declines on both fronts.
For the fourth quarter, net income fell to $49.5 million, or 36 cents per diluted share, from $130.9 million, or
81 cents per diluted share. For the year, net income dropped 21 percent to $337.2 million. As for the health
of the company, RadioShack announced a plan to achieve three major goals over the next 18 months:
increase the average unit volume of its core store base, rationalize its cost structure and grow profitable
square feet in its store portfolio. The company said it will replace old, slower-moving merchandise with new,
faster-moving merchandise within higher growth categories. It will close a number of underperforming
stores and work to better align overhead costs with its business model to generate more profit per square
foot. The company also said it will continue to expand its kiosk business and relocate RadioShack stores
to better real estate.
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