,i  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #iffd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,december #ba1       
#bjbb,mrs4 ,lesko introduced the        
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce 
,a ,,bill  ,to direct the ,federal      
,communications ,commission to amend    
part #ig4cjg7;f7 of title #dg1 ,code of 
,federal ,regulations1 to allow greater 
flexibility in data communications in   
the amateur radio service1 and for other
 purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act 
may be cited as the ,amateur ,radio     
,communications ,improvement ,act4  #b4 
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,more than #ggh1jjj amateur       
operators in the ,united ,states are    
licensed by the ,federal ,communications
 ,commission in the amateur radio       
services1 and1 by treaty1 additional    
amateur operators licensed by other     
sovereign entities and jurisdictions are
 authorized to operate within the       
,united ,states4  7#b7 ,amateur radio1  

in addition to providing life-saving    
emergency communications at no cost to  
taxpayers1 provides a fertile ground for
 technical self-training in modern      
telecommunications1 electronics         
technology1 and emergency communications
 techniques and protocols4  7#c7 ,in    
#bjaf1 the ,commission issued a ,notice 
of ,proposed ,rulemaking agreeing with  
the petition of the ,american ,radio    
,relay ,league to remove an outmoded    
limit on digital data rate transmissions
 7contained in part #ig4cjg7;f7 of title
 #dg1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations7   
that constrains the use of the amateur  
spectrum1 particularly during           
emergencies and declared disasters4     
7#d7 ,adopted in #aihj1 the present data
 rate limit is a relic of an era long   
since relegated to obsolescence by the  
remarkable advancements in digital data 
communications4  7#e7 ,the present data 
rate limit has no place in the modern   
digital communications world4 ,slower   
speeds needlessly occupy busy amateur   

frequencies for longer than necessary to
 transmit messages1 leading to          
unnecessary crowding without benefit to 
anyone1 and a delay in the transmission 
of mission critical information during  
emergencies and declared disasters4     
7#f7 ,united ,states amateurs developed 
the first amateur digital protocols1 but
 now are consigned to watching as       
amateurs in other countries take the    
lead in squeezing more data within each 
bandwidth4 ,amateurs in other countries 
universally are permitted to use modern 
digital data speeds denied amateurs in  
the ,united ,states4 ,united ,states    
amateurs can hear and decode higher     
speed signals every day1 but are not    
permitted to respond with the same      
protocol4  7#g7 ,this situation is not  
because of any affirmative decision1 but
 simply because there has been an       
#h-year unexplained lack of action to   
update the rules4  7#h7 ,it is          
embarrassing that in recent years1      
including this year1 radio amateurs have

 had to apply to the ,commission for    
temporary waivers1 which are always     
granted1 of the limit on data           
communications to efficiently manage    
emergency1 health1 and welfare messages 
from hurricane-prone ,caribbean islands1
 and even from within the ,united       
,states4 ,amateurs in the ,caribbean1 as
 in other areas of the world1 generally 
are using equipment and software        
developed by the amateur community and  
promoted by the ,international          
,telecommunication ,union specifically  
to ensure communications capabilities   
during times of severe weather4  7#i7   
,amateur radio has led many young people
 into scientific and engineering        
professions1 including many related to  
the digital services and technologies   
that are at the heart of the wireless   
communications marketplace of today4    
,the incentive to work on improving data
 communications technologies is the     
ability to experiment on the airwaves   
and to employ improved capabilities both

 casually and in times of need4  7#aj7  
,this capability should be restored to  
radio amateurs in the ,united ,states4  
#c4 ,repeal of symbol rate limits for   
transmissions on certain amateur        
frequencies and adoption of #b4h k,hz   
bandwidth limit ,not later than #ahj    
days after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act1 the ,federal ,communications 
,commission1 pursuant to section #cjc of
 the ,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg 
,u4,s4,c4 #cjc7 and as proposed in ,,fcc
 ,docket #af-bci1 shall-- 7#a7 repeal   
the symbol 7or baud7 rate limits in part
 #ig4cjg7;f7 of title #dg1 ,code of     
,federal ,regulations2 and  7#b7 adopt1 
in place of such symbol 7or baud7 rate  
limits1 a #b4h k,hz bandwidth limit for 
any single digital signal on the        
frequencies referred to in such part4   
#d4 ,commission defined ,in this ,act1  
the term ,commission means the ,federal 
,communications ,commission4