Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont PO Box 9392 South Burlington, VT 0 !

0"#9392 ran$%&ahoogrou's()om and *entral Vermont Amateur Radio *lu+, ,n)( PO BO- "! SO.T/ BARR0 VT 0 1"0#00"! )$ar)%&ahoogrou's()om Vermont State 2egislature 33 State Street 4ont'elier, VT 0 133 5e+ruar& 2, 203! 6ear 2egislator, , am 7riting &ou on +ehalf of Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont, and *entral Vermont Amateur Radio *lu+, ,n)(, organi8ations re'resenting almost 3 0 mem+ers in Vermont( ,t has )ome to our attention that the State of Vermont is )onsidering legislation 7hi)h 7ould restri)t the use of )ellular tele'hones 7hile dri$ing, s'e)ifi)all& /ouse +ill /( 39" :AN A*T R02AT,N; TO T/0 .S0 O5 PORTAB20 020*TRON,* 60V,*0S </,20 6R,V,N; AN6 PR,4AR= S0AT B02T 0N5OR*040NT>, and Senate +ills S( 33 :AN A*T R02AT,N; TO PRO/,B,T,N; /AN6/026 .S0 O5 PORTAB20 020*TRON,* 60V,*0S> and S( 232 :A*T R02AT,N; TO PRO/,B,T,N; T/0 /AN6/026 .S0 O5 A PORTAB20 020*TRON,* 60V,*0 </,20 6R,V,N;>( <e are )on)erned that this legislation ma& ha$e the unintended )onse?uen)e of restri)ting mo+ile Amateur Radio o'erations as 7ell( Amateur Radio o'erators 'ro$ide emergen)& and 'u+li) ser$i)e )ommuni)ations on a $olunteer, un)om'ensated +asis( O+taining an 5** Amateur Radio li)ense re?uires the 'assing of a 7ritten examination on regulations, o'erating 'ra)ti)es, ele)troni)s theor&, and safet&( There are a''roximatel& 190,000 li)ensed Amateur Radio o'erators in the .nited States, and a''roximatel& 2,000 in Vermont( ,n the )ourse of 're'aring for and )ondu)ting emergen)&, disaster and other 'u+li) ser$i)e )ommuni)ations, Amateur Radio o'erators routinel& e?ui' their motor $ehi)les 7ith t7o#7a& radios( Radio amateurs are 'u+li) ser$i)e#minded indi$iduals 7ho utili8e their radio#e?ui''ed motor $ehi)les to assist others(

The States en)ourage mo+ile amateur radio o'eration as a 'u+li) +enefit( 0$er& State issues li)ense 'lates to motor $ehi)les of li)ensed radio amateurs sho7ing their 5**#assigned )all letters, in order to identif& a 'arti)ular $ehi)le as a mo+ile#radio e?ui''ed $ehi)le( The .nited States *ongress, in 399!, in a @oint Resolution AS(@( Res( 90B/(@( Res( 399 A399!C, in :re)ogni8ing the a)hie$ements of radio amateurs, and to esta+lish su''ort for su)h amateurs as national 'oli)&> found and de)lared, among other things, thatD :reasona+le a))ommodation should +e made for the effe)ti$e o'eration of amateur radio from residen)es, 'ri$ate $ehi)les and 'u+li) areas, and that regulation at all le$els of go$ernment should fa)ilitate and en)ourage amateur radio o'eration as a 'u+li) +enefit(> 5urthermore, National Safet& *oun)il ANS*C President @anet 5roets)her has stated that E<e are not a7are of e$iden)e that using Amateur Radios 7hile dri$ing has signifi)ant )rash risFs( <e also ha$e no e$iden)e that using t7o#7a& radios 7hile dri$ing 'oses signifi)ant )rash risFs( .ntil su)h time as )om'elling, 'eer#re$ie7ed s)ientifi) resear)h is 'resented that denotes signifi)ant risFs asso)iated 7ith the use of Amateur Radios, t7o#7a& radios or other )ommuni)ation de$i)es, the NS* does not su''ort legislati$e +ans or 'rohi+ition on their use(E As )urrentl& 7ritten, it is not )lear that the Vermont +ills 'rohi+it or allo7 mo+ile Amateur Radio o'erations, and that is 're)isel& the issue( ,n Ne7 =orF state, for exam'le, multi'le Amateur Radio o'erators ha$e +een im'ro'erl& )ited for o'erating their mo+ile Amateur Radio stations due to the $ague language in the N= statute( The N= 64V has issued an o'inion o''osing these )itations, +ut unfortunatel& it is not +inding la7, and the im'ro'er )itations )ontinue( Se$eral states, in)luding +ut not limited to <ashington, *onne)ti)ut, 6ela7are, and Oregon ha$e ado'ted s'e)ifi) exem'tions for Amateur Radio o'erators in their statutes( 5or exam'le, the <ashington statute sti'ulates thatD A3CAaC Su+se)tion A3CAaC of this se)tion does not restri)t the o'eration of an amateur radio station +& a 'erson 7ho holds a $alid amateur radio o'erator li)ense issued +& the federal )ommuni)ations )ommission( Ahtt'DBBa''s(leg(7a(go$Br)7Bdefault(as'xG)iteH!1(13(11"C <e strongl& urge the Vermont State 2egislature to ado't similar language(

Sin)erel&, The offi)ers and mem+ers of Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont and *entral Vermont Amateur Radio *lu+, ,n)(