February 02, 2020

Barry Shelley (N1VXY) - Interim ARRL CEO

February 02, 2020/ Colin Butler

The ARRL Board of Directors did not elect Howard Michel, WB2ITX, as the ARRL Chief Executive Officer

Beginning Monday 20th January 2020, Barry Shelley, N1VXY, will become interim CEO.

Mr. Shelley was ARRL’s Chief Financial Officer for 28 years and CEO during 2018 before his retirement. The board has created a search committee to select the next CEO. More details on this and other matters which took place at the board meeting will be released shortly.

ARRL - https://www.arrl.org/news/barry-shelley-n1vxy-to-become-arrl-interim-ceo

February 02, 2020

Continued Access to 3GHz spectrum

February 02, 2020/ Colin Butler

In its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket 19-348, the FCC proposed to relocate all non-federal operations, including amateur uses, to spectrum outside the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band. The Commission anticipates auctioning this spectrum to expand commercial use of 5G cellular and wireless broadband services if agreement can be reached on the relocation of — or sharing with — the federal incumbents that operate in the same band. Publication of the NPRM in the Federal Register on 22nd January 2020 established deadlines of 21st February 2020 for comments and 23rd March 2020 for reply comments.

The FCC has requested comment on the uses radio amateurs make of the spectrum and appropriate relocation options. Complicating matters is the fact that radio amateurs must consider the possibility that the immediately adjacent 3.1 – 3.3 GHz band is included in the spectrum that Congress has identified for a similar study. FCC Commissioner Michael O’Reilly, in a December statement, referenced the fact that the lower band may also be considered for non-federal reallocation, potentially limiting relocation possibilities.