The ARRL Executive Committee will gather on Saturday, October 3, in Minneapolis. During its meeting the EC will address and review a plethora of regulatory and legislative matters, and it will hear reports on the progress of work by various ARRL committees.

Topping the agenda is a review and discussion of a proposed Enforcement Strategy and Plan. At its July 2015 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors directed the CEO, staff, and General Counsel to develop and  — under the supervision of the Executive Committee — execute a plan to improve timely and visible enforcement in the Amateur Radio Service. The focus would be in the areas of RF interference from power lines and Part 15 and 18 lighting devices, and malicious interference to HF net operations and to VHF/UHF repeaters.

At the July Board meeting, ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, said that the slow pace of progress on Amateur Radio enforcement issues at the FCC remained a serious concern. The EC will consider a draft Enforcement Strategy and Plan at its October 3 meeting.

The EC will hear a status report and update on The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015, which now has 99 US House cosponsors.

The panel also will review current FCC proceedings affecting Amateur Radio, including the preparation of a petition for rule making to effect changes in the 80 and 75 meter RTTY/Data and phone/image subbands; to restore 80 meter frequency privileges for certain license classes; to shift the 80 meter automatically controlled digital station band segment, and to authorize Novice and Technician class licensees to utilize RTTY/data emissions in certain bands.

In addition the EC will discuss the status of the League’s complaints to the FCC about RF lighting devices and hear a report on filed and planned future complaints aimed at lighting ballast importers and consumer retailers of RF lighting devices intended solely for industrial applications.

Another regulatory topic on the EC’s agenda is the lack of FCC action on the ARRL’s Petition for Rule Making (RM-11708) to delete restrictions on symbol rates for data communication and to establish a 2.8 kHz maximum occupied bandwidth for data emissions below 29.7 MHz.

EC members are ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN; Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB; West Gulf Division Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV; Pacific Division Director Bob Vallio, W6RGG; New England Division Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, and Great Lakes Division Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK. ARRL First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, and ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, are non-voting members.