September, 2006

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FCC Suspends Amateur Licenses for Failure to Maintain Mailing Address
The FCC has suspended two Amateur Radio licenses because the holders had failed to maintain correct mailing addresses in the Commission's licensee database. Special Counsel in the FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division Riley Hollingsworth wrote Larry L. Smith, KC7LJR, of Middleton, Idaho, and Larry J. Maniag, KD7JTG, of Payson, Arizona, on June 28 to inform them the FCC was suspending their Technician tickets for the remainder of their license terms or until each licensee provides a valid mailing address.

Remote operation and the new licence (in Great Britain)
Remote operation will be a standard feature of the new licence due to come into force on 1 October. Full licence holders will be allowed to remotely control an unattended station for their personal use. For example, they could run a home station from elsewhere (eg from work or when travelling) or operate a purpose built remote site. The remote link can be any publicly available system (eg dial-up, ISDN, internet, wi-fi). Systems using amateur frequencies can also be used. In addition, all licensed amateurs are allowed to remotely control their station within a range of 100m. Under the new licence, this will not be regarded as unattended operation. However, when operating a remote controlled station, licence holders must still stay within the general terms of their licence. They should ensure that both unattended equipment and the communications link are secure and cannot be used by others. They must also prevent uncontrolled transmissions in the event of the communications link failing. Shared use systems are still not permitted under the new licence, but it might be possible to obtain NoVs for this purpose.

Emergency Communications Bill Includes Amateur Radio as Interoperability Agent
A bill to enhance emergency communication at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) includes Amateur Radio operators as part of an overall effort to provide interoperability among responders. The 21st Century Emergency Communications Act of 2006 (HR 5852), an amendment to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, passed the US House this week on a 414-2 vote and has gone to the Senate. Its sponsor, Rep David G. Reichert (R-WA) -- who chairs the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology -- says his legislation is designed "to improve the ability of emergency responders to communicate with each other" -- interoperability.

Amateur Radio License of Convicted Felon in Jeopardy; Hearing Pending
The FCC has initiated a hearing proceeding against Robert D. Landis, N6FRV, of Atascadero, California, who was convicted on two felony counts in 1991, fined $10,000 and sentenced to 11 years in prison. The hearing will determine whether Landis will be allowed to continue to hold his Advanced class license, which is due to expire on November 1. The Order to Show Cause released August 1 was in response to a complaint pointing out Landis's conviction for lewd behavior involving a minor. For several years now, the FCC has applied character standards once reserved for broadcast licensees to Amateur Radio licensing and renewal cases.

DXCC Announces Accreditation Criteria Rule Change
ARRL's DXCC program has added language to its Accreditation Criteria to minimize difficulties stemming from online DXpedition logs. The change, recently approved by the ARRL Board of Directors Programs and Services Committee, limits the level of QSO detail that DXpeditions may provide on Web-based log sites, search engines or other public forums and still qualify for DXCC accreditation. ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG, notes that it's become accepted practice for DXpeditions to post QSO information on the Web.

September, 2006

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