Please take a few minutes to sign our online petition. We are gathering signatures to show the level of interest with the people of Nebraska to support legislative efforts to help HAM radio operators who live in HOA’s.
WHY?
S.3690 the “Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act” is a bill being prepared for the U.S. legislature which seeks to close a loophole in the 1996 Telecommunications Act which allows private land use agreements such as homeowners associations and covenants to prohibit the erection of permanent antenna structures for the use of amateur radio for purely aesthetic reasons. The Act seeks to override any such prohibitions at a federal level to allow erection and use of antennas which meet already established safety guidelines in any home in America.
WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE THE STATE LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA TO ENACT STATE-WIDE REGULATIONS TO ALLOW THESE SERVICES. Our state legislature is better equipped to accomplish our goal state-wide than the repeated attempts at the federal level with S.3690. Nebraska state legislators want to see that there is widespread support in the state for this type of legislation, and a genuine need. Please help us out by signing today and contacting your federal representatives in gov’t to encourage passage of S.3690.
While amateur radio is widely viewed as a hobby, it also serves vital functions. Many operators are members of ARES (http://www.arrl.org/ares) which supports a wide variety of emergency communications when traditional communication infrastructure is impaired or unavailable. There is also the SKYWARN program (SKYWARN Amateur Radio Network) which relies on amateur radio to relay timely and important information about dangerous weather events such as tornadoes.
By prohibiting the erection of antennas, and therefore the effective use of amateur radio in American neighborhoods, these land use agreements are impeding an important safety apparatus. It is perhaps a dramatic example but is nonetheless a relevant comparison to say this is similar to an HOA refusing to allow fire hydrants because they are not visually pleasing. Antennas, like hydrants, serve a vital safety function.
Cellular phones and Internet service may seem reliable, but they are dependent on complex and delicate centralized infrastructure that is not impervious to disruption, especially from natural disasters, industrial accidents and acts of terrorism. While these failures may be few and far between, they remain possible, and are a good reason to maintain a secondary line of communication such as decentralized amateur radio networks.
HOW?
While S.3690 would address the problem and void HOA and covenant prohibitions on amateur radio use, getting something passed at the federal level can be challenging. For that reason we’re encouraging everyone to take two actions.
1. Please write to your national representative or senator and encourage them to look for and vote “Yes” on S.3690. You can put it in your own words or use the letter we’ve prepared for you below. The more people they get asking about this, the better chance it will pass.
2. Also SIGN OUR PETITION and write to your local district and state representative and ask that they draft a bill similar to S.3690 for the State of Nebraska. The more widespread the support the more legislators that will sign on to co/sponsor this legislation, and the more likely it is to pass. There will be a STEEP HILL TO CLIMB in the form of very organized, well-funded HOA groups that work hard to keep their residents constrained. They step up in droves and have the built in advantage of having the contact information of everyone in their neighborhoods to accomplish their goals.
Text – S.3690 – 118th Congress (2023-2024): Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act
FORM LETTER:
Form Letter:
Dear [Senator/Representative],
I’m writing to you to request that you vote in favor of S.3690 “Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act” when it is brought before you. As you may or may not be aware, amateur radio is crucial to emergency communications, and rapid coordination of emergency services when traditional communication infrastructure is impeded by the emergency. Despite the clear intention of the 1996 telecommunications act to prohibit private land use restrictions such as HOAs and covenants from prohibiting the erection of antennas, the wording was not strong enough to prevent many of these organizations and institutions from using loopholes in the interpretation of the act to enforce prohibitions against the erection of antennas for purely aesthetic purposes. S.3690 seeks to close these loopholes while still allowing for reasonable restrictions against unsafe use. This act is crucial to me, and, I believe, to the safety of our communities. Once again, please vote “yes” for S.3690.
Sincerely
[YOUR INFO}