FYI - here's a copy of the summary referred to at the end of the
referenced thread, OK'd for sharing by N1MZA.
"The following summarizes a longer article that will appear in the
January
1998 issue of QST in my DC Currents column.
S. 1350, introduced in the Senate by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy would,
if
passed, expand the authority of states and municipalities to regulate the
construction and location of commercial telecommunications, radio or
television towers.
S. 1350 is not directed at Amateur Radio, nor would it have an immediate
effect upon it. However, S. 1350 could undermine the FCC*s existing
policy
of federal preemption over Amateur Radio antennas. It could also be an
obstacle to ARRL*s current efforts to obtain a broader FCC preemption
policy
regarding RFI regulation, and could create an incentive for FCC to limit,
its existing amateur antenna preemption policy, codified in Section
97.15(e)
of the FCC rules. Over the long term, it could subject amateurs to state
and
local RFI regulations that may be stricter than those adopted by the FCC,
and could lead to the erosion of the concept of federal preemption of all
telecommunications matters. For these reasons, ARRL will be meeting with
key
staff in the Senate to air our concerns when Congress re-convenes.
While it is impossible to predict the outcome of legislative initiatives
with any certainty, S. 1350 is not likely to pass in its current form.
First, it would overturn one of Congress* own policies, codified in the
Telecommunications Act of 1996. Based on the premise that a robust system
of
telecommunication is in the national interest, that act requires
continued
federal preemption in the siting of telecommunications facilities (with
some
caveats). Lots of blood was shed getting that act passed, and Congress is
unlikely to reopen old wounds without reason.
Second, to have a chance at life, S. 1350 would need to pass muster with
the
Senate Commerce Committee. The powerful committee chairman and gatekeeper
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is said to unenthusiastic about this sort of
legislation
Third, and perhaps most important, it has having already stirred
opposition
from The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, the Personal
Communication Industry Association, and other well-funded interests in
the
commercial mobile radio service community.
What ought to give the amateur community pause may not be this bill in
particular, but rather, the emerging public policy debate it represents.
S.
1350 questions the long-standing concept of federal preemption in order
to
try to balance the aesthetic and RFI concerns of municipalities. The
debates
themselves are old; what is new is that instead of taking place among
telecommunications experts in the quiet back rooms of the FCC and other
agencies, now they take place in public view among members of Congress.
We will continue to keep ARRL membership apprised of this issue as it
develops."
73, Steve Mansfield/N1MZA
Manager, Legislative & Public Affairs
Press Jones, N8UG, The Wireman, Inc., Landrum, SC 29356
use n8ug@juno.com or (864) 895-4195 for tech help
orders only use 800-727-WIRE(9473) or cqwire@juno.com
http://www.thewireman.com
THE WIRE LINE(http://thewireman.com/wireline.html)
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