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HR4969  - the "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014"

Attention all West Gulf Division members.  Amateur Radio needs your

help!

Time is running out on the window of opportunity to contact your

Congressman regarding HR4969.  The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014 is

the best chance to date to obtain relief from overly restrictive CC&R

regulations.  As a point of reference, the West Gulf Division has over

33,000 HOA’s and more are being created every month.

HR4969 was recently introduced into the 113th Congress by Congressman

Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) as sponsor and Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) as

co-sponsor.  This bipartisan effort would direct the FCC to extend the

"reasonable accommodation" provisions for Amateur Radio antennas to

include all types of land-use regulation, including deed restrictions

and restrictive covenants.

For more detail go to:

http://www.arrl.org/hr-4969

Please go to the URL above and prepare a support letter for HR4969.

When addressing the letter to your Representative, make certain you

have included their name and mailing address in the header. Add your

full name, callsign, and address to the bottom of the letter, and

please make certain you have signed your letter.  Letters that have not

been signed have little benefit.

If you wish to write and sign your letter then send the signed copy to

the ARRL as an attachment (PDF or scan) to an email, please send them

to n1nd@arrl.org with the words "HR 4969 letter" in the SUBJECT field

of the email.  If you wish to mail your letter via the USPS, follow the

directions below.

To expedite delivery of your letter once you have printed it out and

signed it, you should mail your letter to:

ARRL

Attn: HR 4969 letter campaign

225 Main St

Newington, CT 06111

We are frequently asked why the ARRL asks that letters be mailed to

ARRL for delivery instead of simply mailing them directly to the

Congressional offices.  The answer is two-fold.  First, since the 9/11

attacks and subsequent security threats, all incoming mail to

Congressional offices is first diverted to a holding area outside of

Washington DC.  Once at that facility it undergoes a series of scans to

test for a variety of problems.  Only after it passes the security tests

is it forwarded on to Capitol Hill for delivery. The delay in delivery

is generally in the 5-7 week range.  By mailing the letters to the

ARRL, we are able to have the letters hand-delivered to the various

congressional offices in a timely manner.

The second reason is just as important.  When our Washington team

delivers letters to a Congressional office, it provides them an

opportunity for at least a brief face-to-face meeting with some of the

key staff members in each Congressional office they visit.  Each

in-person meeting is another opportunity for the ARRL’s story to be

told – and is another chance to answer questions that may arise.

I will personally be visiting Congressional offices on September 15, 16

and 17.  Your letter will make the impact of my visits much more

significant.  As a constituent, your comments hold great importance.

If you now live in a HOA or might, in the future, move to a HOA, this

bill holds great promise for your future ability to operate amateur

radio.  Please act today.  Log on to http://www.arrl.org/hr-4969.

Prepare your letter as per instructions on the website and mail or

E-Mail it tomorrow to the ARRL address above.

Thank you.

David

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ARRL West Gulf Division

Director: David A Woolweaver, K5RAV