The ARRL Executive Committee (EC) will hold its first meeting of the year on Saturday, March 12, in Dallas, Texas. The session will mark some other significant milestones. ARRL’s new President, Rick Roderick, K5UR, will chair his first Executive Committee meeting since he took office in January. Incoming ARRL Chief Executive Officer Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, will be attending his very first EC meeting, as he prepares to assume his full CEO duties on April 18. And this week’s EC gathering will mark the last that current CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, will attend in that capacity. Elected by the ARRL Board of Directors in January, Gallagher, now designated as CEO-Elect, arrived at ARRL Headquarters on February 29 to begin the transition process. Sumner has served as CEO since March 1982 and has been on the ARRL Headquarters staff for some 44 years.

The EC is expected to hear a report from ARRL Chief Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, on a variety of regulatory, legal, and legislative matters, including the anticipated authorization by the FCC of new bands at 135.7 kHz and 472 kHz. Also up for discussion is the status of ARRL’s Petition for Rule Making (RM-11759) that calls on the FCC to repair what it has called a “shortfall in available RTTY/data spectrum” in the 80 and 75 meter bands. Still outstanding is the League’s November 2013 Petition (RM-11708) to delete restrictions on symbol rates for data communication and to establish a 2.8 kHz maximum occupied bandwidth for data transmissions below 29.7 MHz. Various Amateur Radio antenna and radio frequency interference cases also are possible discussion topics.

The panel also is expected to discuss the progress of the Amateur Radio Parity Act legislation now before both houses of Congress.

The EC will continue its review of standing orders. In addition, it will approve ARRL conventions and club affiliation applications and recognize new ARRL Life Members.

The Executive Committee is chosen by the ARRL Board of Directors to make decisions on League matters between Board meetings, in accordance with existing Board of Directors’ policy.

The current EC members from the Board are ARRL West Gulf Division Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV; Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB; Great Lakes Division Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK; Pacific Division Director Bob Vallio, W6RGG, and Delta Division Director David Norris, K5UZ. In addition to the five Director members of the EC and President Roderick, First Vice President Greg Widin, K0GW and CEO Sumner are non-voting members of the EC.