ARRL Request to Contact Your US Senators Supporting theAmateur Radio Parity Act

KY6LA_Howard

Dear ARRL member, I am writing to you today because we are at a crossroad in our efforts to obtain passage of The Amateur Radio Parity Act. Our legislative efforts scored a major victory in our campaign when The Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301, passed in the House of Representatives yesterday, September 12th. The legislation now moves to the Senate, where we need every Senator to approve the bill. You are one of over 730,000 licensed Amateur Radio Operators living in the United States. Many of you already live in deed-restricted communities, and that number grows daily. NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL HAMS TO GET INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS! · If you want to have effective outdoor antennas but are not currently allowed to do so by your Home Owner’s Association, SEND THESE EMAILS TODAY!! · If you already have outdoor antennas, but want to support your fellow hams, SEND THESE EMAILS TODAY!! · If you want to preserve your ability to install effective outdoor antennas on property that you own, SEND THESE EMAILS TODAY!! We need you to reach out to your Senators TODAY! Right away. Help us in the effort. Please go to this linked website and follow the prompts: https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ctas/urge-senate-to-support-amateur-radio-parity-act Thank you. 73, Rick - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rick Roderick, K5UR President ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio® Lo

KY6LA_Howard

I signed it. Help ur fellow hams in HOA get antennas. Sign it today. We need to get it passed and onto the desk of POTUS before the end of the year.

Sergey R5AU

I see ANT theam is actual everywhere

Burch - K4QXX

I signed it too.  Where I live you have to buy an older house or buy acreage out east to be able to live in a non deep restricted area.  Anything built here in the last 20-30 years is deed restricted.

Jlawson40

I signed too. I don't live in a antenna restricted area but maybe sometime in the future. It's good to help out our fellow hams who have been frustrated with antenna restrictions for years. 73, John

KC9NRN

I live in a neighborhood with no HOA however the town itself doesn't allow them, or fences, or sheds, you name it. I signed as well.

Ken - NM9P

Signed it...

Kevin

The one place where we should be able to make our own decisions is our homes. I bought my house 4 years ago and could not find a place without an HOA or covenant of some sort. The HOA here is rather minimal but I still resent any HOA. 

Signed. Hopefully there'll be a lot more antenna raising parties in the future.

Richard McClelland, AA5S

I signed it, too.  One of my senators (whose name isn't Bennet) insisted on me providing a telephone number, presumably for follow up fund raising calls.  I provided him the number of an old flip-phone that stays powered off in the kitchen drawer.

Bob G W1GLV

Signed it, too.

KY6LA_Howard

Your town is in violation of PRB1. They MUST reasonably accommodate ham antennas. They will lose badly in court if they deny an antenna permit.

Lionel

Done, and I will call my Senators' office today.  The HOA here is fairly liberal but  in general I resent the concept of the HOA watching me.  

Everyone needs to get on board and sign/sign and call. 

Ken - NM9P

It is a verification step so they can protect against people sending bogus bunches of spam emails in an effort to stuff the comment box. One of my senators in Indiana does it, too.

rfoust

I definitely signed it.

Jeff - AK0DX

The ARRL Web Site made this very easy to do!
https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ctas/u... 

Rick - W5FCX

Done.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention!

Rick

Steven Hess

Done and done. 
I am lucky to live where there is no regulation of what I can put in the air or where I put it. 
I can't fathom anyone moving into a place that didn't allow antennas. But people do. 
Allowing a modest antenna set up should not be prohibited. 

Ria

Contacted my senators (Cory Booker and Bob Menendez) via email on their website. I'll fill this out as well because I understand that ARRL has a paid lobbyist they use. My division director (and good friend) Mike, N2YBB has been pounding the pavement **** this. 

I am fortunate in that my town has been pretty good with antennas after I had to set the land use board straight, but if I ever move out of here (likely) I want to be free to continue hamming. 

Lee Maisel

Done.   When the HOA's pay your property taxes and Mortgage, THEN they can have a say, but until then, **** off.

KC9NRN

I hope so, my wife already busted our town for giving tickets for parking in our culdesac so she went to village hall for the hearing and presented them with their own rules from the town website and they agreed and let it go. It seems rules don't matter, they town makes them up as they go and it's up to us to push back.

David Ahrendts

ARRL has issued a Wednesday afternoon update:

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB032
ARLB032 Amateur Radio Parity Act Passes in the US House of
Representatives

ZCZC AG32
QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 32  ARLB032
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  September 14, 2016
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB032
ARLB032 Amateur Radio Parity Act Passes in the US House of
Representatives!

"The bill is passed without objection." With those words, Amateur
Radio history was made on September 12, when the US House of
Representatives approved the Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301 on
a voice vote under a suspension of the rules. The focus of the
campaign to enact the legislation into law now shifts to the US
Senate. The House victory culminated many years of effort on ARRL's
part to gain legislation that would enable radio amateurs living in
deed-restricted communities to **** antennas that support Amateur
Radio communication. The measure calls on the FCC to amend its Part
97 rules "to prohibit the application to amateur stations of certain
private land-use restrictions, and for other purposes." While
similar bills in past years gained some traction on Capitol Hill, it
was not until the overwhelming grassroots support from the Amateur
Radio community for H.R. 1301 shepherded by ARRL that a bill made it
this far. The legislation faces significant obstacles to passage in
the US Senate, however.

"This is huge step in our effort to enact legislation that will
allow radio amateurs who live in deed-restricted communities the
ability to construct an effective outdoor antenna," ARRL President
Rick Roderick, K5UR, said. "Thanks to everyone for their help in
this effort thus far. Now we must turn our full attention to getting
the bill passed in the Senate."

ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who chairs the
ARRL Board's Legislative Advocacy Committee, has been heavily
involved in efforts to move H.R. 1301 forward. "This has been a
multiyear effort that is finally seeing some light," he said. "The
passage of the bill in the House is a major accomplishment, due to
the hard work of so many - from the rank-and-file member to the
officers and directors."

Lisenco said it's not a time to rest on our laurels. "We are only
halfway there. The focus now shifts to our effort in the Senate," he
said. "We are beginning a massive e-mail campaign in which we need
every member to write their two Senators using our simplified
process. You will be hearing from President Roderick and from your
Directors, asking you to go to our 'Rally Congress' page. Using your
ZIP code, e-mails will be generated much like our recent letter
campaign. You'll fill in your name and address and press Enter. The
e-mails will be sent directly to your Senators without you having to
search through their websites."

The "Rally Congress" web page can be found at,
https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ctas/urge-senate-to-support-amateur-radio-parity-act
.

Lisenco said getting these e-mails to members' Senators is a
critical part of the process. "Those numbers matter! Please help us
help you by participating in this effort," he said.

As the amended bill provides, "Community associations should fairly
administer private land-use regulations in the interest of their
communities, while nevertheless permitting the installation and
maintenance of effective outdoor Amateur Radio antennas. There exist
antenna designs and installations that can be consistent with the
aesthetics and physical characteristics of land and structures in
community associations while accommodating communications in the
Amateur Radio services."

During this week's limited debate, the House bill's sponsor, Rep
Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), thanked ARRL and the Community Associations
Institute (CAI) for reaching an agreement to move the bill forward
"in a bipartisan and very positive manner." He pointed out to his
colleagues that Amateur Radio antennas are prohibited outright in
some areas.

"For some this is merely a nuisance," Kinzinger said, "but for
others - those that use their Amateur Radio license for life-saving
emergency communications - a dangerous situation can be created by
limiting their ability to establish effective communication for
those in need."

Kinzinger said that in emergencies, hams can provide "a vital and
life-saving function" when conventional communication systems are
down. He also praised the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), a
US Department of Defense-sponsored program, comprised largely of
Amateur Radio volunteers, that also supports communication during
emergencies and disasters.

Cosponsor US Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT) also urged the bill's passage.
"This is not just a feel-good bill," Courtney said, recounting how
Hurricane Sandy brought down the power grid, and "we saw all the
advanced communications we take for granted...completely fall by the
wayside." Ham radio volunteers provided real-time communication in
the storm's wake, he said, saying the legislation was a way "to
rebalance things" for radio amateurs who choose to live in
deed-restricted neighborhoods by enabling them to install
"non-intrusive antennas."

Courtney noted that he spoke recently with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler,
and said that Wheeler "strongly supports this legislation."

Leading up to the vote, Rep Paul Tonko (D-NY) also spoke in support
of the legislation, calling it a commonsense approach that would
build "fairness into the equation for Amateur Radio operators" in
dealing with homeowners associations.

The earlier U.S. Senate version of the Amateur Radio Parity Act, S.
1685, no longer is in play, and the Senate is expected to vote by
unanimous consent on the version of H.R. 1301 that was adopted by
the House on September 12.
NNNN
/EX

KY6LA_Howard

Unfortunately it can get quite expensive before you can get before a judge to explain the rules to a town... But if you do get to court, case law heavily favors ham antennas because Federal Law preempts local council ordinances. Unfortunately the smaller the town, the more likely they are to ignore Federal Law until the courts force them to obey.

Rick - W5FCX

From what I've read, we signed our rights away to the HOA when we bought the house. Will be interesting to see if FCC has any real **** and willingness to stand up for our rights.

KY6LA_Howard

The FCC will do little or nothing but issue a PRB1 type rule which applies to HOA. It will be up to you nd the courts to make sure the HOA obeys the law.