Two bills aimed at helping hams were introduced
in thewaning days of the 117
th Congress. The ARRL reported that H.R.
9670, introduced by Ohio Rep. Bill Johnson, would pre-empt most antenna restrictions
imposed by homeowners’ associations, and H.R. 9664, introduced by Arizona Rep.
Debbie Lesko, would instruct the FCC to replace symbol rate limits in HF
amateur radio communications with bandwidth limits, a topic on which the ARRL
has had a rulemaking request pending for several years without Commission
action. HOA antenna restrictions, of course, have been the subject of ARRL
lobbying efforts over several decades.
As both bills were introduced in the final days
of the 2021-22 Congressional session, they died without action at the end of
the year. At press time in mid-January it was unclear if either bill had been
reintroduced or whether the sponsors had plans to reintroduce them.
