The RSGB Accessibility Champion

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The RSGB is looking for a proactive and knowledgeable volunteer to serve as its new Accessibility Champion. This important role will focus on ensuring that people with disabilities can fully participate and enjoy everything that amateur radio has to offer.

Key responsibilities of the role will be engaging with the amateur radio community, serving as a point of contact and signposting people to resources that can help them, as well as raising awareness of the challenges faced by individuals and sharing inspiring stories.

If you have a strong understanding of accessibility issues, ideally with personal experience or professional expertise, and are passionate about inclusion within amateur radio, the Society would love to hear from you.

If you’re interested in finding out more, including having a chat about the role, please firstly read the full role description on the RSGB website and then contact RSGB Board Director Nathan Nuttall, 2M0OCC.

FT8 Warning to UK Hams

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Ofcom has started to contact UK amateur radio operators that may have fallen outside the UK band allocation when operating FT8.

Warning emails are being sent, advising the date and time of the transmission, and making recommendations to check the configuration software used to operate FT8.

Any operation of a callsign without permission can be reported to interference.report@ofcom.org.uk

Eakinomics: Time to Jettison Legacy FCC Rules

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Eakinomics: Time to Jettison Legacy FCC Rules

You know, maybe it’s time to try again. The endless (and pointless) network-neutrality debate over regulation of the internet using Title I versus Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 convinced Eakinomics it was time to simply dump the 1934 Act and pass a modern law for internet regulation. Now, a similar issue arises regarding Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership rules for broadcast media.

As nicely exposited by former AAF policy expert Jeff Westling (now at the International Centre for Law & Economics, where we wish him well and a better back swing) and Aryan Mirchandani:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has long set standards designed to prevent consolidation within the radio and broadcasting industry. These standards aim to promote competition, localism and diversity of viewpoints by ensuring that the power to inform the masses is not held by limited actors. Congress directed the FCC to reevaluate these standards every four years to determine if they continue to meet their intended aim. In September, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking continuing the latest quadrennial review.

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