April 13, 2010 by kb3ljm.

The FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order (NPRM) on April 13 seeking to lower the fee for Amateur Radio vanity call signs. Currently, a vanity call sign costs $13.40 and is good for 10 years; the new fee, if the FCC plan goes through, will go down to $13.30 for 10 years, an decrease of 10 cents. The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934 (as amended) to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the costs associated with that program. The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new term. Instructions on how to comment on this NPRM are available on the FCC Web site.

http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-looks-to-lower-fees-for-vanity-call-signs

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April 8, 2010 by kb3ljm.

Once touted as “the most successful BPL deployment in the nation,” the City of Manassas, Virginia has decided to get out of the BPL business, once and for all. At a Special Meeting on Monday, April 5, the Manassas City Council — acting on a recommendation from the Manassas Utilities Commission — unanimously voted to discontinue Broadband over Powerline (BPL) Internet service as of July 1, 2010 to the approximately 520 residents and businesses who currently subscribe to the service; these customers were told that they have three months to find a new Internet service provider.

http://www.arrl.org/news/city-of-manassas-to-end-bpl-service

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April 7, 2010 by kb3ljm.

In November 2009, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) — WT Docket No 09-209 — seeking to amend the Commission’s Amateur Radio Service rules in an attempt to clarify certain rules and codify existing procedures governing the vanity call sign system, as well as revise certain rules applicable to club stations. In March, the ARRL submitted comments and additional proposals to the FCC to update the Amateur Service’s call sign assignment system and provide for continued growth of the Amateur Radio Service, as well as enhance the pride and satisfaction of licensees in their personal achievements in the radio art. The ARRL’s positions were developed by the Executive Committee at its March 13 meeting.

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-responds-to-fcc-s-em-nprm-em-calling-for-new-rules-on-vanity-and-club-call-signs-em-em

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April 2, 2010 by kb3ljm.

Please note that Mayer is going to try to reschedule the meetings to Tuesdays.

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April 1, 2010 by kb3ljm.

From Kurt Fritsch WA3TOY

Well this certainly has been an interesting winter. In December we had a snow storm on the 20th which brought us up to 24 inches of snow. During this event, WA3TOY served as net control operator for the Skywarn net. During the course of the net we received fourteen reports ranging from 9 inches in St. Leonard, MD to 24” in Edgewater, MD.
Read the rest of this entry »

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March 25, 2010 by kb3ljm.

On March 24, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) proposing to amend the Commission’s Amateur Radio Service rules “with respect to Amateur Radio operations during government-sponsored emergency preparedness and disaster readiness drills and tests.” While current rules provide for Amateur Radio use during emergencies, the rules prohibit communications where the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an employer. In October 2009, the FCC released a Public Notice clarifying the Commission’s rules relating to the use of Amateur Radio by licensed amateurs participating in drills and exercises on behalf of their employers. To date, the FCC has granted several dozen waivers under this new policy.

https://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/25/11405/?nc=1

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March 18, 2010 by kb3ljm.

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.

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/18/11396/

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March 16, 2010 by kb3ljm.

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.

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/16/11393/

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March 12, 2010 by kb3ljm.

The New Zealand government has granted New Zealand amateurs temporary access to a slice of the 600m spectrum. The new allocation, 505 to 515kHz, was previously used for Morse code communications with ships. There are a few restrictions to the use of these frequencies. If these frequencies are allocated to other services, amateurs must not cause interference to these services but must accept any interference from them. Radiated power must not exceed 25 watts EIRP and the bandwidth of transmissions must not exceed 200Hz. It is hoped that this allocation will, eventually, be made permanent. [RSGB]

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March 11, 2010 by kb3ljm.

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.”

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