Pursuant to due notice, the Executive Committee of the American Radio Relay League, Inc. met at 9:00 AM MDT Saturday, March 14, 2009 at the Renaissance Denver Hotel, Denver, Colorado. All committee members were present: President Joel Harrison, W5ZN in the Chair; First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN; Chief Executive Officer and Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ; and Directors Jay Bellows, K0QB, Bill Edgar, N3LLR, Tom Frenaye, K1KI, George R. Isely, W9GIG, and Bob Vallio, W6RGG. Also present were Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, International Affairs Vice President Rod Stafford, W6ROD, and General Counsel Christopher D. Imlay, W3KD.

1. On motion of Mr. Edgar the following agenda was adopted:
   1. 1. Consideration of agenda
      2. President’s report
      3. Chief Executive Officer’s report
      4. FCC/regulatory items
      5. Antenna regulatory matters, RFI matters and other legal matters
      6. Red Cross MOU
      7. Legislative matters
      8. International matters
      9. Organizational matters
      10. Review of pending action items
      11. Approval of conventions
      12. Affiliation of clubs
      13. Recognition of new Life Members
      14. Approval of minutes of October 18, 2008 meeting
      15. Date and place of next meeting of Executive Committee
      16. Other business
2. Mr. Harrison reported on initial efforts to pursue the ARRL’s legislative objectives in the 111th Congress. He also observed that while the negative impact of the global economic recession on Amateur Radio so far has been limited, the situation must be carefully monitored for signs that ARRL revenues might be impacted more severely than expected.
3. Mr. Sumner reported that Headquarters operations are proceeding relatively smoothly. Income has held up well in the first two months of 2009 despite the recession. He attributed much of the strength of membership renewals and advertising revenue to the perceived quality of QST. He also reported that Technical Relations Manager Brennan Price, N4QX will be moving to the Washington, DC area at the end of the month and will be working full-time from the Fairfax office. Mr. Sumner previewed two 30-second promotional videos developed by volunteers and Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP.
4. Mr. Imlay reported on FCC and regulatory matters as follows:
   1. 4.1.      Laura Smith has been named to the position of FCC Special Counsel and will be handling enforcement matters in the Amateur Radio Service. Ms Smith made a very productive visit to ARRL Headquarters on March 5-6 to meet the members of the ARRL staff with whom she will be interfacing. Mr. Imlay observed that her being based in Gettysburg rather than in Washington is likely to help her maintain focus on Amateur Radio issues.
   2. 4.2.      It may be some time before President Obama’s nominee for FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski, is sworn in. The ARRL should pursue the possibility of acquainting him with the Amateur Radio Service prior to his taking office.
   3. 4.3.      The ARRL wrote to Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps on February 25, requesting that the FCC revisit its broadband over power line (BPL) rules as ordered by the Court of Appeals on April 25, 2008 without further delay. No response has been received. The next steps by the ARRL will be to request a meeting with FCC officials and to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the release of the documents that the Court determined were improperly redacted by the FCC.
   4. 4.4.      Mr. Imlay will continue to press for a long-overdue FCC declaratory ruling that Florida and New Jersey statutes dealing with unlicensed radio transmissions and interference to FCC licensed broadcast stations are preempted. There is no legitimate reason for the more than three-year delay, since all that is required is the restatement of a longstanding and very clear Commission policy.
   5. 4.5.      An engineering study by ARRL staff is underway to refute the claim by ReconRobotics, Inc. that the band 430-450 MHz has propagation characteristics that make it uniquely suited for use by one of its products (WP Docket No. 08-63). The study should be ready for filing with an ex parte statement soon.
   6. 4.6.      Mr. Imlay and Technical Relations Manager Price met with representatives of the Alfred E. Mann Foundation to discuss the ARRL’s concerns with regard to a recent experimental license granted to the Mann Foundation for operation of very low-power medical implant devices in the 216-225 and 400-470 MHz bands. The Mann Foundation representatives said that the 216-225 MHz band was not in fact of interest to them and that it had been requested only as a backup. The principal band of interest to them in 413-457 MHz. They reported that the medical implant device designs include redundancy to protect the patient against malfunction in the presence of interference. The ARRL will request the Mann Foundation to include in a further filing with the FCC a statement for the record that they are aware of the characteristics of amateur transmissions in the 420-450 MHz band and their devices will not malfunction in the presence of amateur signals.
   7. 4.7.      The ARRL is seeking an understanding with the FCC’s Office of Engineering & Technology (OET) to require coordination with the ARRL as a condition when granting experimental licenses or special temporary authorizations that have a potential for causing harmful interference to amateur stations. Mr. Imlay will write to the Chief of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Division of OET in an effort to move this matter forward.
   8. 4.8.      As a result of the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference, a secondary allocation to the amateur service of 135.7-137.8 kHz was added to the international Table of Frequency Allocations. Mr. Sumner reviewed the status of technical preparations for an eventual petition to implement the allocation domestically in the United States. Contact will be made with the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) to determine whether objections that UTC has made in the past to low frequency (LF) amateur allocations can be overcome with respect to this very narrow, international allocation. Mr. Imlay noted the ongoing experimental activity in the vicinity of 500 kHz; Mr. Sumner observed that consideration of an amateur allocation in this frequency range is on the WRC-11 agenda and that the pursuit of a domestic allocation at this time would be premature.
   9. 4.9.      In December, as required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the FCC released a Public Notice requesting comment on whether rules enacted in 1997 should be retained, deleted or modified. Some Part 2 and Part 97 rules that apply to the Amateur Radio Service were included in the list. The ARRL did not comment at the time, and the Executive Committee found no reason to file late comments.
   10. 4.10.    Comments are due March 25 in FCC GN Docket No. 09-29 on Rural Broadband Strategy. The ARRL will file comments to place in the record our concerns about radio interference from BPL deployment.
   11. The Committee was in recess for luncheon from 12:02 until 1:00 PM.
   12. 4.11.    At Minute 34 of its January 2009 meeting the ARRL Board asked the Executive Committee, with input from the Programs and Services Committee, to study the FCC amateur callsign assignment programs and to make recommendations to the Board for a filing with the FCC. Mr. Imlay observed that the FCC is planning to replace its Universal Licensing System and that this might provide a narrow window of opportunity for seeking changes. The Programs and Services Committee will be asked to place the matter on the agenda of its April 4 meeting.
   13. 4.12.    A recent FCC action concerning the character qualifications of an amateur licensee was discussed. No new ARRL policy on this subject is indicated at this time.
   14. 4.13.    Mr. Imlay reviewed briefly the status of several pending FCC regulatory items.
5. Antenna regulatory matters, RFI matters and other legal matters.
   1. 5.1.     Mr. Imlay noted the favorable resolution of litigation where the court ordered the City of Palmdale, California to reissue a previously revoked permit for an antenna support structure to Alec Zubarau, WB6X. The court’s decision also caused the city to put a very restrictive proposed ordinance on hold. Other cities in California are reported to be adjusting their approaches to amateur antennas as a result of the Palmdale decision.
   2. 5.2.      Mr. Imlay observed that violations of the ARRL’s copyright and trademark rights continue to occur. While defending these rights is both difficult and expensive, it is also necessary in order to protect the ARRL’s intellectual property.
6. In response to earlier instructions from the Executive Committee, ARRL staff has been working with American National Red Cross staff to draft a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organizations to replace the Statement of Understanding that expired in 2007. The final draft that has resulted from these efforts had been circulated to the committee earlier and was formally offered for consideration by Mr. Sumner. After discussion, it was agreed that the text of the draft is satisfactory. Before the Executive Committee recommends approval of the MOU to the Board, Mr. Harrison will write to the Vice President for Disaster Response Services of the Red Cross to learn how the Red Cross plans to implement the provision that ARRL volunteers shall not be asked or required to consent to credit checks, mode of living investigations, or investigative consumer reports in order to provide a communications function.
7. Legislative matters.
   1. 7.1.      The Policy Statement on Amateur Mobile Operation that was developed by the Executive Committee in January has been put to use as intended at the state level. To address the issue at the national level, the policy will be conveyed to the National Safety Council which has been promoting legislation to curb drivers’ use of cellphones and similar devices.
   2. 7.2.      As Mr. Harrison had observed earlier in the meeting, the ARRL is pursuing its legislative objectives for the 111th Congress. The introduction of supportive legislation is anticipated soon.
8. International matters.
   1. 8.1.      Mr. Stafford reported on WRC-11 preparations. Mr. Frenaye commented that he was pleased to see WRC-11 preparations publicized on the ARRL Web site, but that updates to the Web site are needed in other advocacy areas.
   2. 8.2.      Mr. Sumner reported on the results of recent balloting by IARU member-societies, his attendance at a recent meeting of the IARU Region 1 Executive Committee, and a visit to the new headquarters of the Radio Society of Great Britain in Bedford.
   3. 8.3.      Mr. Harrison noted the upcoming IARU Region 3 Conference to be held in Christchurch, New Zealand in October. He is planning to lead the ARRL delegation.
9. Organizational matters.
   1. 9.1.      The committee reviewed the current ARRL Strategic Plan in detail in light of member comments and Board discussion at the January Board meeting. A number of proposed changes to the document were agreed to as a starting point for Board consideration of the Strategic Plan at its July meeting. The Executive Committee will review its work over the next several weeks and then will circulate the document to the Board sufficiently in advance of the July meeting to permit careful study. Mr. Sumner was asked to determine the availability of a facilitator who is familiar with the ARRL to assist at the July meeting.
   2. 9.2.      A draft revision of the existing Cooperative Agreement between the ARRL and the Quarter Century Wireless Association was reviewed. On motion of Mr. Vallio, the President was authorized to sign the revised agreement on behalf of the ARRL.
   3. 9.3.      On motion of Mr. Vallio, it was agreed to submit a recommendation of the Administration and Finance Committee concerning employee benefits to the Board for mail vote.
   4. 9.4.      Mr. Imlay reported that ARRL staff under the leadership of VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM has done a good job preparing Privacy Policy documents that are required by a growing number of state statutes with which the ARRL is required to comply, not only in Connecticut but in any state in which personal information is collected.
   5. 9.5.      Mr. Frenaye noted that the Executive Committee has not completed its recommendations for revisions to ARRL election rules and procedures that were initiated at the March 2008 meeting. This work should be resumed.
10. Mr. Sumner presented a list of items from past Board meetings on which action is pending. Mr. Harrison observed that the list is shorter than in the past, which indicates progress is being made.
11. On motion of Mr. Edgar, the holding of the following ARRL conventions was approved:
    1. 2009
       Montana State, July 17-19, Essex
       W0 DXCC and Contest Central, July 18, Rochester, MN
       Central States VHF Society Conference, July 23-25, Elk Grove Village, IL
       Oklahoma Section, July 24-25, Oklahoma City
       New Mexico State, August 14-15, Albuquerque
       Southwestern Division, August 15-16, Santa Barbara
       Kansas State, August 16, Salina
       Delta Division, September 11-12, Mena, AR
       Pacific Northwest VHF Conference, October 9-11, Seaside, OR
    2. 2010
       Rocky Mountain Division, May 28-30, Casper
       Southwestern Division, September 17-19, San Diego
12. On motion of Mr. Vallio, the affiliation of the following clubs was approved:
    1. Brooksby Radio Amateur Group, Peabody, MA (Category 3)
       New Kent 4 D Star Amateur Radio, Lanexa, VA (Category 1)
       Sevier County Emergency Radio Service, Sevierville, TN (Category 1)
       
       With this action the ARRL now has the following numbers of active affiliated clubs: Category 1, 2030; Category 2, 56; Category 3, 125; Category 4, 17; Total, 2228.
13. On motion of Mr. Vallio, the committee recognized 98 recently elected Life Members and instructed the Secretary to list their names in QST.
14. On motion of Mr. Isely, the minutes of the October 18, 2008 meeting were approved as distributed.
15. October 24 was tentatively selected as the date of the next meeting of the Executive Committee at a location to be determined.
16. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:02 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

David Sumner, K1ZZ
Secretary