Legislation that would provide amateur radio operators with greater flexibility regarding the deployment of outdoor antennas is gaining support in the U.S. House of Representatives.
According to a posting on the website of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 now has the support of 100 members in the U.S. House of Representatives. The proposed legislation was introduced in March 2015 the House of Representatives (House Resolution 1301) by Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and in June 2015 in the U.S. Senate (S. 1685) by Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
If approved as currently drafted, the Act would direct the FCC to extend its rules relating to the reasonable accommodation of the placement of amateur radio antennas to address private land use restrictions, such as those imposed by homeowner associations. FCC rules currently permit a limited preemption of state and local regulation of antenna placements.
The House version of the Act, H.R. 1301, has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and will be reviewed by the Communications and Technology Subcommittee. The Senate version, S. 1685, has been sent to Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet.
More information about the Act is available at the ARRL website.
