As of this writing, the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 (H.R.1301) presently   
   has 94 co-sponsors in the House, due in no small part to ARRL members across   
   the nation writing and emailing their Representatives to request their support.   
      
   With the Senate companion bill (S. 1685) now introduced, it is now time to   
   contact our Senators and request that they too co-sponsor the Act. For   
   background, Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 (H.R.1301 and S. 1685), both   
   bi-partisan bills, would require the FCC to amend its Part 97 Amateur Service   
   rules to apply the three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to   
   include homeowners' association regulations and deed restrictions, often   
   referred to as "covenants, conditions, and restrictions" (CC&Rs). At present,   
   PRB-1 only applies to state and local zoning laws and ordinances. The FCC has   
   been reluctant to extend the same legal protections to include such private   
   land-use agreements without direction from Congress. These bills would   
   accomplish that.   
      
   This is a critical issue to the future health of Amateur Radio. While you   
   personally may not be subject to CC&Rs, many amateur radio operators are, and   
   the number of those affected is increasing significantly. In 1970, there were   
   approximately 2.1 million residents affected by CC&Rs. By 2011, a mere four   
   years ago, 62.3 million were affected. Whether or not you are currently   
   affected by CC&R's, I ask that you to support this effort on behalf of all   
   amateur radio operators in the United States.   
      
   If you have not already written or emailed your Congressman or Senators,   
   please spare a few minutes to do so.   
      
   The letters for your two senators should then be mailed to:   
      
   ARRL   
   Attn: S 1685 Grassroots campaign   
   225 Main St   
   Newington CT 06111   
      
   If you wish to send a signed letter that has then been converted into a PDF,   
   it can be emailed to reginfo@arrl.org Please include the phrase "S 1685   
   Grassroot Letter" in the SUBJECT field of your email.   
      
   The letter to your congressperson can also be mailed to:   
      
   ARRL   
   Attn: HR 1301 Grassroots campaign   
   225 Main St   
   Newington CT 06111   
      
   If you wish to send a signed letter that has then been converted into a PDF,   
   it can be emailed to reginfo@arrl.org Please include the phrase "HR 1301   
   Grassroot Letter" in the SUBJECT field of your email.   
      
   Why should I send my letters to the ARRL instead of members of congress   
   directly? There are several reasons. First, because of security concerns, it   
   can take from six to eight weeks for a letter sent directly to a Congressional   
   office to be delivered. All mail sent to their office is delivered to a   
   holding facility to be screened for problems before they are finally sorted   
   and delivered. Second, and as important, when the ARRL receives your letter,   
   it can be combined with other letters to your Congressperson and   
   hand-delivered to their office on Capitol Hill. This provides an additional   
   opportunity for our Washington team to have a face-to-face meeting with the   
   key staff in each Congressional office. A stack of letters delivered at the   
   same time makes a large impression.   
      
   73,   
      
   Bob McCaffrey K0CY   
   Section Manager   
      
   --------------------------------------------------------------------   
   ARRL Iowa Section   
   Section Manager: Robert McCaffrey, K0CY   
   k0cy@arrl.org   
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   )\/(ark   
      
   ... It's becoming hard to remain a legend in my own mind.   
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