RAC Scholarship Awarded

RAC Atlantic Director Dave Goodwin, VE9CB and Scholarship Chair Bill Unger, VE3XT, have announced the awarding of a $500 scholarship to Alex Colpitts, VE9LEX, on behalf of all Radio Amateurs of Canada members.

Alex is a graduate student from Electrical Engineering at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton. He hopes to finish his graduate research and then begin writing his thesis and prepare to defend it.

In addition to working with various embedded systems using ARM/Arduino-based architectures, he is involved with the UNB Judo club.

The Amateur Radio club station at UNB is VE9UNB and under the guidance of Brent Peterson, VE9EX, it is turning into a hotbed of activity for young, bright and gifted Electrical Engineers. You may want to do a search for VE9UNB to see what they are up to or visit their website.

Every year, through the RAC Foundation, Radio Amateurs of Canada provides grants and scholarships to worthy community programs and to young Canadian Amateurs who are studying at the post-secondary level in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs.

It’s gratifying to think that a radio you may be using in the future could be designed by a Canadian Amateur who was helped by your or your club’s donation to the RAC Scholarship and Grants Program today.

RAC operates the RAC Foundation in cooperation with the Community Foundation of Ottawa (CFO) which administers and invests the donated funds and disburses the earnings from those invested funds to grant applicants, based upon the advice of the RAC Board. All grant applications should be submitted to the RAC Foundation for processing and recommendation.

In addition to the Scholarship and Grants Program RAC also has a Youth Education Program (YEP).

For more information visit - https://wp.rac.ca/youth-education-program/

RSGB Regional and Board Nominations Now Open

RSGB Members are reminded that nominations are open for RSGB Board and Regional Representatives.

Details are in the January RadCom and at http://www.rsgb.org/nominations.

These roles offer a good opportunity to help the RSGB develop and to promote amateur radio.

Nominations close on 31 January 2019.

US Senate Confirms Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr to Full FCC Terms

The US Senate has confirmed Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr to full 5-year terms as FCC commissioners. Starks, who most recently had served as assistant chief of the FCC Enforcement Bureau, fills the seat vacated last spring by Mignon Clyburn. Both are Democrats. Republican nominees have a 3 – 2 advantage on the Commission. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is the other Democrat on the FCC.

“I congratulate Geoffrey on his Senate confirmation,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. “During his confirmation hearing, I was excited to hear him highlight the need to expand rural broadband and the power of telemedicine. I look forward to working with him and having a fellow Kansan on the Commission.”

Carr, a Republican originally nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the seat left vacant by the departure of former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, was confirmed last August. He now has been confirmed for a full 5-year term. Carr previously served as FCC general counsel.

“I also congratulate Brendan on his confirmation to a full term,” Pai said in a statement. “Brendan has done tremendous work on a number of issues, including his leadership on wireless infrastructure modernization. He has also been a staunch advocate for rural broadband deployment, particularly for precision agriculture and advancements in telemedicine.”

In addition to Pai and Carr, the other Republican on the FCC is Michael O’Rielly.