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Attention All Amateurs ....
FCC Seeks Comments for Blanket Waiver to Allow Amateur Radio in Hospital Emergency Drills
In February 2010, the American Hospital Association (AHA) filed a request with the FCC for a blanket waiver of
Section 97.113(a)(3) of the Commission's Rules "to permit hospitals seeking accreditation to use Amateur Radio
operators who are hospital employees to transmit communications on behalf of the hospital as part of emergency
preparedness drills." On March 3, the FCC issued a Public Notice -- WP Docket 10-54 -- seeking comments if the
Commission "should grant AHA's request for a blanket waiver of Section 97.113(a)(3) to permit amateur operators
who are hospital employees to participate in emergency drills that are conducted by hospitals for accreditation
purposes and that are not government-sponsored."Section 97.113(a)(3) specifically prohibits amateur stations
from transmitting communications "in which the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary interest,
including communications on behalf of an employer."
Administrative Law Judge Says Washington State Licensee Can Keep Ham License
In January 2007, the FCC issued an Order to Show
Cause to David L. Titus, KB7ILD, of Seattle, Washington, to justify why his General class Amateur
Radio license should not be revoked and initiated a hearing process to determine whether Titus "is qualified to
remain a Commission licensee" in light of a 1993 felony conviction at the age of 18 for "communicating with a minor
for immoral purposes." According to the FCC order, Titus received a 25-month prison sentence for this act, and the
Seattle Police Department has identified him as a registered sex offender. On March 9, Administrative Law Judge
Richard L. Sippel issued his Initial
Decision -- saying that Titus " has been a law-abiding member of his community for many years" and ordered
that Titus' license should not be revoked based on the evidence presented by the defendant and witnesses on his behalf,
as well as the FCC's Enforcement Bureau failure to meet the burden of proof necessary for revocation. The FCC has
said that The Communications Act of 1934, as amended
provides that the Commission may revoke any license if conditions come to its attention that would warrant a denial
of the licensee's original application. In the past, the Commission has said that felony convictions, "especially
those involving sexual offenses involving children," raise questions regarding a licensee's character qualifications.
Sippel's Initial Decision shall become effective "and this proceeding shall be terminated 50 days
after its release if exceptions are not filed within 30 days thereafter, unless the Commission elects to review
the case on its own motion."
FCC Releases National Broadband Plan
This morning, the FCC held an Open Meeting to introduce its report
Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) that will be delivered to Congress today. Calling it "an ambitious agenda for connecting all corners of the nation while transforming the economy and society with the communications network of the future -- robust, affordable Internet," the Commission found that nearly 100 million Americans lack broadband at home today and 14 million Americans do not have access to broadband.
FCC Proposes to Eliminate Spread Spectrum APC Requirement, Reduce Spread Spectrum Power Limit; Cleans Up Portions of Part 97
In response to a 2006 ARRL Petition regarding
spread spectrum issues, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) on March 16 (WT Docket No 10-62), proposing
to amend Part 97 to facilitate the use of spread spectrum communications technologies by eliminating the requirement that amateur stations
use automatic power control (APC) to reduce transmitter power when the station transmits a spread spectrum (SS) emission and reducing the
maximum transmitter power output when transmitting a SS emission. Through an Order
attached to the NPRM, the Commission also made "certain non-substantive revisions" to the Amateur Service rules.
7:15 PM, Pikesville Library,
| April, 2010 | |
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