U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

99–010 

" ! SENATE 

112TH CONGRESS

1st Session 

REPORT

2011

112–22 

Calendar No. 74 

AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2011 

R E P O R T 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

TO ACCOMPANY

S. 191 

TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO 

UNDERTAKE A STUDY ON EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS 

JUNE 13, 2011.—Ordered to be printed 


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(II) 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut, Chairman 

CARL LEVIN, Michigan 

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii 

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware 

MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas 

MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri 

JON TESTER, Montana 

MARK BEGICH, Alaska 

SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine 

TOM COBURN, Oklahoma 

SCOTT P. BROWN, Massachusetts 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin 

ROB PORTMAN, Ohio 

RAND PAUL, Kentucky 

JERRY MORAN, Kansas 

MICHAEL L. ALEXANDER, Staff Director 

BETH M. GROSSMAN, Deputy Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

SEAMUS A. HUGHES, Professional Staff Member 

NICHOLAS A. ROSSI, Minority Staff Director 

BRENDAN P. SHIELDS, Minority Director of Homeland Security Affairs 

CHRISTOPHER J. KEACH, Minority Professional Staff Member 

TRINA DRIESSNACK TYRER, Chief Clerk 


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Calendar No. 74 

112TH CONGRESS SENATE REPORT " ! 1st Session 112–22 

AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS 

ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2011 

JUNE 13, 2011.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. LIEBERMAN, from the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 191] 

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, 

to which was referred the bill (S. 191) to direct the Department of 

Homeland Security to undertake a study on emergency communications, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with 

an amendment and recommends that the bill (as amended) do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

I. Purpose and Summary .................................................................................. 1 

II. Background and Need for the Legislation ................................................... 1 

III. Legislative History ......................................................................................... 2 

IV. Section-by-Section Analysis .......................................................................... 3 

V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact .................................................................. 4 

VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate ................................................ 4 

VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ........................... 5 

I. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

S. 191 seeks to determine how to harness the ability of the hundreds of thousands of American amateur radio operators who comprise the Amateur Radio Service to offer organized and orderly 

help to the government in times of emergency. It does so by directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to study, write a report on, 

and make recommendations with respect to the uses and capabilities of the Amateur Radio Service. 

II. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION

Amateur radios—radios used for two-way communications—have 

long served as an effective method of communication for their 


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users. The Federal Communications Commission has allocated certain radio frequencies to amateur radio use, and it has required 

those seeking to communicate on those frequencies to first obtain 

FCC licenses. The nearly 700,000 U.S. residents who have obtained 

such licenses make up the Amateur Radio Service. 

In emergency after emergency, members of the Amateur Radio 

Service have proven the value of their technology and skills to 

helping those in need. Natural disasters and other emergencies 

often cause traditional phone lines to fail and can leave cell phone 

services overwhelmed. The ability of amateur radios to communicate, however, often emerges from these disasters unscathed, allowing amateur radio operators to serve as vital communicators of 

critical information. Volunteer radio operators provided such services during hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Hugo, and Andrew, during 

the relief efforts at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon following the 2001 terrorist attacks, and during the Oklahoma City 

bombing in April 1995. 

Despite these examples of invaluable service and the great need 

for reliable communications during emergencies, there currently is 

no overarching strategy for organizing and harnessing the potential 

of this critical communication infrastructure. S. 191 would help 

remedy this situation by directing the Department of Homeland Security to study and report on the ways in which the Amateur Radio 

Service can help in the response to emergencies and natural disasters. 

III. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

In the 111th Congress, Senators Joseph Lieberman and Susan 

Collins introduced S. 1755, the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009, on October 6, 2009. The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs favorably 

reported the bill by voice vote on November 4, 2009. The bill passed 

the Senate on December 14, 2009, by unanimous consent. The 

House took no action on the bill. 

On January 26, 2011, Senators Joseph Lieberman and Susan 

Collins re-introduced the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2011 in the 112th Congress. The bill, 

now numbered S. 191, was referred to the Committee on Homeland 

Security and Governmental Affairs. The Committee considered the 

bill at a business meeting on April 13, 2011. 

The Committee adopted one amendment to the bill, offered by 

Senator Coburn. The amendment directs the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General to submit a report to Congress to 

determine whether and to what degree Federal Emergency Management Agency grant programs provide duplicative or overlapping 

assistance. According to a March 1, 2011, Government Accountability Office Report cited by Senator Coburn, ‘‘FEMA does not 

compare and coordinate grant applications across its preparedness 

programs to identify potential duplication. In addition, FEMA has 

not established measurable goals or performance measures for preparedness capabilities to identify gaps to assist in effectively 

prioritizing national investments through preparedness grant programs . . . Until FEMA evaluates grant applications across grant 


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1Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, 

and Enhance Revenue (GAO #11–318SP), page 116. 

programs, FEMA cannot ascertain whether or to what extent multiple funding requests are being submitted for similar purposes.’’ 1

The Committee adopted the Coburn amendment by voice vote 

and then voted to report the bill favorably, also by voice vote. Members present for both votes were Senators Lieberman, Levin, 

Akaka, Carper, Begich, Collins, Coburn, McCain, and Johnson. 

IV. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title 

Section 1 designates the name of the act as the ‘‘Amateur Radio 

Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2011.’’ 

Section 2. Findings 

Section 2 states Congress’ findings regarding the value of services provided by amateur radio service operators. 

Section 3. Study of enhanced uses of amateur radio in emergency 

and disaster relief communication and for relief of restrictions 

Subsection (a) requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to 

undertake a study examining the uses and capabilities of Amateur 

Radio Service communications in emergencies and disaster relief 

and to submit a report to Congress on the findings of the study 

within 180 days of enactment of this act. 

Subsection (b) provides that the study shall include a review of 

the extent to which amateur radio emergency communications can 

support homeland security missions relating to disasters, severe 

weather, and other threats to lives and property in the United 

States. It also directs the report to provide recommendations for 

enhancements in the voluntary deployment of amateur radio licensees in relief efforts and improved integration of amateur radio operators in planning and furtherance of homeland security initiatives. Finally, it specifies that the recommendations should identify 

impediments to Amateur Radio Service communications and make 

recommendations regarding such impediments for consideration by 

other Federal departments, agencies, and Congress. 

Subsection (c) requires the Secretary to utilize the expertise of 

stakeholder entities and organizations for the purposes of conducting this study. 

Section 4. Report on Duplication of Grant Programs 

Subsection (a) requires the Inspector General of the Department 

of Homeland Security to submit a report to Congress on the grant 

programs administered by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency within 180 days of enactment of this 

act. 

Subsection (b) provides that report should determine whether 

and to what degree Federal Emergency Management Agency grant 

programs provide duplicative or overlapping assistance. It also 

specifies that the report should provide the cost of each grant and 

make recommendations for the consolidation and elimination of 

grant programs to reduce duplication of assistance. 


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V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of 

the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has considered 

the regulatory impact of this bill. The Committee agrees with the 

Congressional Budget Office that the bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded 

Mandates Reform Act and would not effect state, local, and tribal 

governments. The enactment of this legislation will not have significant regulatory impact. 

VI. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

APRIL 19, 2011. 

Hon. JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 191, the Amateur Radio 

Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2011. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Dan Hoople. 

Sincerely, 

DOUGLAS W. ELMENDORF. 

Enclosure. 

S. 191—Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement 

Act of 2011 

CBO estimates that implementing S. 191 would cost about $1 

million over the next five years. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not 

apply to this legislation because it would not affect direct spending 

or revenues. 

S. 191 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates 

as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not 

affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

The legislation would direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a study on the uses and capabilities of the 

Amateur Radio Service during and after a disaster or emergency. 

The Amateur Radio Service is a voluntary organization made up of 

qualified people with a nonmonetary interest in radio. Amateur 

radio operators are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission based on skill and knowledge. Licensed operators may use 

a number of small, shared-frequency bands to communicate 

through voice, teleprinting, telegraphy, facsimile, and television. 

During emergencies, amateur radio operators provide alerts and 

other communication in place of and in tandem with federal, state, 

and local government agencies and private relief organizations, 

such as the American Red Cross. 

The bill also would direct the Inspector General of DHS to report 

to the Congress on the cost of grant programs operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and to what degree those programs provide duplicative or overlapping assistance. Based on similar studies, CBO estimates that the cost of producing both studies 

would be about $1 million in 2012, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. 


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The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Dan Hoople. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Assistant Director for 

Budget Analysis. 

VIII. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

The bill, as reported, makes no changes to existing law. 

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