AG06
QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 6  ARLB006
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  January 26, 2017
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB006
ARLB006 Amateur Radio Parity Act Speeds to U.S. House Passage, Heads
to U.S. Senate

Just 10 days after being introduced, the 2017 Amateur Radio Parity
Act legislation, H.R. 555, passed the U.S. House of Representatives
this week on unanimous consent under a suspension of House rules.
The bill's language is identical to that of the 2015 measure, H.R.
1301, which won House approval late last summer after attracting 126
co-sponsors, but failed to clear the U.S. Senate last fall as the
114th Congress wound down. The new bill, again sponsored by Rep.
Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), was introduced on January 13 with initial
co-sponsorship by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Rep. Greg Walden,
W7EQI (R-OR), who chairs the influential House Committee on Energy
and Commerce.

H.R. 555 can be found on the web at,
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/555?r=27 .

'The grassroots effort of Amateur Radio operators across this nation
in support of the Amateur Radio Parity Act has been remarkable,
nothing like we have ever seen before,' ARRL President Rick
Roderick, K5UR, said. 'To all hams, keep going! Now is the time to
charge forward with that same momentum to the Senate. We can do it!'
The bill arrives in the U.S. Senate with ample time in which to
garner its approval through an education campaign.

'We're very encouraged by the speed with which this bill made it
through the House. It's amazing that this happened,' said ARRL
Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who has been at the
forefront of the legislative initiative. 'With the help of ARRL
members, we believe we can get this done,' Lisenco continued. 'We
came within a hair's breadth last time, with 110,000 e-mails to
members of both houses of Congress, as well as letters and telephone
calls. Member participation in this final push is critical.'

H.R. 555 calls on the FCC to establish rules prohibiting the
application of deed restrictions that preclude Amateur Radio
communications on their face or as applied. Deed restrictions would
have to impose the minimum practicable restriction on Amateur Radio
communications to accomplish the lawful purposes of homeowners
association seeking to enforce the restriction.