The ARRL Board of Directors has "temporarily" assumed direct control
of the appointment of top-level leadership of the National Traffic System.
Previously, top NTS staff members elected their own leaders. According to the
ARRL Letter, the move is temporary, "pending development of the Second
Century Public Service Communications Delivery Plan," whose details have
yet to be defined publicly.In response, and after the firing of one NTS Area chairman, many top leaders of the message-handling network resigned and formed a new organization - called Radio Relay International - to provide an alternative network for forwarding long-haul message traffic.