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KA9LCF > NEWS 07.09.12 22:34l 67 Lines 2643 Bytes #999 (0) @ ALLIN
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Subj: ARN: Radio Law
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From: KA9LCF@KA9LCF.#NEIN.IN.USA.NOAM
To : NEWS@ALLIN
RADIO LAW: VOTE ON ADDING ENGINEERS TO COMMISSION STAFF
SEEMS STALLED IN CONGRESS
Legislation working its way Congress that would add a
technical expert to the staff of each FCC commissioner may
not come up for a vote this fall. This is because the House
and Senate versions of the bill to allow each of the five
commissioners to hire one additional staff engineer are
still in committee. Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley,
KI7UP, has the details:
--
Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe introduced S. 611 in
May 2011. The measure seeks to amend the Communications Act
of 1934 to provide commissioners additional technical
expertise. However Snowe's intention to retire at the end
of this year has led supporters to push for a vote before
the end of this Congressional term.
The companion House companion measure is H.R. 2102: FCC
Commissioners' Technical Resource Enhancement Act. The
Society of Broadcast Engineers better known as the SBE is a
major supporter of these two pieces of legislation. In a
recent press statement, SBE President Ralph Hogan said that
his organization has scheduled a trip to Washington to meet
with key members of Congress in Washington, This to further
groups efforts to move the bills through the House and
Senate before the end 2012.
However, SBE General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, acknowledged
in a column that appeared in the August edition of the SBE
publication "The Signal" that time is of the essence.
According to Imlay, the SBE's last chance this fall to get
H.R. 2102 through the House is `on suspension.' That means
the measure is without the usual hearing and report
procedure.
To move a bill along in these cases normally requires that
the bill have a large number of cosponsors. Imlay says that
in an election year, this is not easy, noting that there are
only four co-sponsors for the House bill now.
Currently, FCC commissioners can appoint only three legal
advisors to counsel the Commissioners on the wired, wireless
and cable media. As part of its legislative agenda, the
Society of Broadcast Engineers has sought greater technical
expertise on the commission for several years.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in
Scottsdale, Arizona.
--
Passage of these measures is important to the ham radio
community as it will put technical expertise to the highest
level of the Commission which for decades has lead primarily
by members of the legal profession rather than technologists
and engineers. This could lead to a better understanding of
our needs than is possible right now. (SBE, RW)
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