<Your Name>
<Your address>
<date>
Dear Assemblyman or Senator
.,
I am an amateur radio operator and resident of your district. Please help us amateur radio operators to continue to provide emergency communications to New York State residents by either cosponsoring or supporting Assembly Bill A 1565-A (Tocci) and Senate Bill S 2893-A (Volker, Larkin, Maziarz, McGee).
Amateur radio operators provide an emergency communications network that is disaster-tested and robust. We provide this service free of charge to the citizens of New York, a service that would require many millions of dollars to replace. We are, in many ways, like volunteer firemen, but we respond to communications emergencies rather than fires. Amateur radio is a voluntary, non-commercial communications service. A key element of a radio amateurs capability is a small radio tower high enough to ensure effective communication. This law will help make sure that state amateur radio operators continue to do this job. Cell phones and the Internet go down in storms and power outage but amateur radio does not.
Federal law already requires that reasonable accommodation be made for these amateur radio support structures that serve the public interest; however local towns, municipalities and radio amateurs cannot easily bear the burden of resolving local disputes over what is reasonable. This delays replacing key elements of the amateur radio emergency network. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal, court and expert witness fees are spent annually to resolve these matters. Its not fair to expect volunteers to bear this financial burden. Ten other states have already enacted legislation to remedy the situation.
Therefore, it is in the interest of the citizens of New York State that there be enacted into law specific guidance regarding the minimum height below which local government and municipalities cannot restrict amateur radio antennas. This bill does that.
Thank you for your support of amateur radio, a hobby that allows me to help my neighbors when they need emergency communications.
Yours truly,
, callsign
|
|
