ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB — acting on behalf of the members of his Division — has presented ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, with an inaugural donation of $4500 to the new ARRL Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund. President Craigie received the contribution during the ARRL Board’s Annual Meeting January 16-17 in Windsor, Connecticut. The check, from the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club, represented contributions from members at the 2014 Hudson Division Awards Luncheon on November 8. President Craigie generously matched the donation. The Board’s Administration and Finance Committee established the Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund — proposed by Lisenco — to educate and inform members of Congress of the importance of issues that impact the Amateur Radio Service.

“There is an urgent need to raise money to help offset the cost of sending our voice to Washington for legislative advocacy, and we need to continue these expenditures into the future to achieve our goals — including and going beyond the current CC&R legislative effort — as there will always be issues that require a continuing presence on Capitol Hill,” Lisenco said after the meeting.

Lisenco added that potential issues down the road could include spectrum allocation — and especially conflicts stemming from broadband allocations — revisions to the Communications Act, the adequacy and efficiency of FCC enforcement and the use of Amateur Radio volunteers, increased privatization of Amateur Radio administration, FCC oversight, and radio frequency interference concerns, “to name a few”

“We must establish a brand for Amateur Radio now, so that we no longer have to be reactive when it comes to the relationship between the federal government and Amateur Radio,” Lisenco stressed after the meeting.

The ARRL is a tax-exempt 501(C)(3) entity. All donations to the fund are tax deductable within the limits of the law. For information on how to donate to the ARRL Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund, contact Development Manager Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD (tel 860-594-0348).

Legislative Objectives Outlined

At its Annual Meeting, the ARRL Board adopted several legislative objectives for the 114th US Congress. Accordingly, the ARRL will continue to secure passage of legislation instructing the FCC to extend the requirement for “reasonable accommodation” of Amateur Radio station antennas — a requirement that now applies to state and local governing bodies — to all forms of land use regulation. The League also will continue to oppose legislation leading to the reallocation of amateur spectrum or to sharing arrangements that reduce the utility of existing allocations, as well as legislation that diminishes the rights of federal licensees in favor of unlicensed emitters or that encourages the deployment of spectrum-polluting technologies.

Among the other objectives, the ARRL will:

• Seek recognition of the unique resources, capabilities, and expertise of the Amateur Radio Service in any legislation addressing communications issues related to emergencies, disasters, or homeland security.
• Support complementary legislative objectives of other radiocommunication services, particularly the public safety and scientific services that require spectrum access and protection from interference for noncommercial purposes that benefit the public.
• Continue to oppose “distracted driving” legislation that does not clearly define the class of devices included in the regulation so as to exclude two-way mobile radio transmitters or receivers used by Amateur Radio licensees.
• Support legislation authorizing the FCC to appoint an electrical engineer or scientist as an additional staff member to ensure the Commissioners have adequate access to technical expertise when making decisions.