IA
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. J. RES. 199
To recognize the achievements of radio amateurs, and to establish support
for such amateurs as national policy.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 20, 1993
Mr. KREIDLER (for himself, Mr. COOPER, Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming, Mr.
MURTHA, Mr. MINETA, Mr. DEUTSCH, Mr. PETERSON of Florida, Mr.
COSTELLO, Mr. LAFALCE, Mr. BARCIA, Mr. FROST, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr.
COLEMAN, Mr. EVANS, and Mr. GALLEGLY) introduced the following
joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
JOINT RESOLUTION
To recognize the achievements of radio amateurs, and to
establish support for such amateurs as national policy.
Whereas Congress has expressed its determination in section
1 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151)
to promote safety of life and property through the use of
radio communication;
Whereas Congress, in section 7 of the Communications Act
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 157), established a policy to encour-
age the provision of new technologies and services;
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Whereas Congress, in section 3 of the Communications Act
of 1934, defined radio stations to include amateur sta-
tions operated by persons interested in radio technique
without pecuniary interest;
Whereas the Federal Communications Commission has cre-
ated an effective regulatory framework through which the
amateur radio service has been able to achieve the goals
of the service;
Whereas these regulations, set forth in part 97 of title 47 of
the Code of Federal Regulations clarify and extend the
purposes of the amateur radio service as a—
(1) voluntary noncommercial communication service,
particularly with respect to providing emergency commu-
nications;
(2) contributing service to the advancement of the
telecommunications infrastructure;
(3) service which encourages improvement of an in-
dividual’s technical and operating skills;
(4) service providing a national reservoir of trained
operators, technicians and electronics experts; and
(5) service enhancing international good will;
Whereas Congress finds that members of the amateur radio
service community have provided invaluable emergency
communications services following such disasters as Hur-
ricanes Hugo, Andrew, and Iniki, the Mount St. Helens
eruption, the Loma Prieta earthquake, tornadoes, floods,
wildfires, and industrial accidents in great number and
variety across the Nation; and
Whereas Congress finds that the amateur radio service has
made a contribution to our Nation’s communications by
its crafting, in 1961, of the first Earth satellite licensed
by the Federal Communications Commission, by its
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proof-of-concept for search and rescue satellites, by its
continued exploration of the low Earth orbit in particular
pointing the way to commercial use thereof in the 1990s,
by its pioneering of communications using reflections
from meteor trails, a technique now used for certain gov-
ernment and commercial communications, and by its
leading role in development of low-cost, practical data
transmission by radio which increasingly is being put to
extensive use in, for instance, the land mobile service:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS OF CONGRESS.
Congress finds and declares that—
(1) radio amateurs are hereby commended for
their contributions to technical progress in elec-
tronics, and for their emergency radio communica-
tions in times of disaster;
(2) the Federal Communications Commission is
urged to continue and enhance the development of
the amateur radio service as a public benefit by
adopting rules and regulations which encourage the
use of new technologies within the amateur radio
service; and
(3) reasonable accommodation should be made
for the effective operation of amateur radio from
residences, private vehicles and public areas, and
that regulation at all levels of government should fa-
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cilitate and encourage amateur radio operation as a
public benefit.
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