[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 90 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.J.Res. 90

                       One Hundred Third Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
 the twenty-fifth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-
                                  four


                            Joint Resolution

  
 
  To recognize the achievements of radio amateurs, and to establish 
support for such amateurs as national policy.

Whereas Congress has expressed its determination in section 1 of the 
  Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151) to promote safety of life 
  and property through the use of radio communication;
Whereas Congress, in section 7 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
  U.S.C. 157), established a policy to encourage the provision of new 
  technologies and services;
Whereas Congress, in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934, 
  defined radio stations to include amateur stations operated by 
  persons interested in radio technique without pecuniary interest;
Whereas the Federal Communications Commission has created an effective 
  regulatory framework through which the amateur radio service has been 
  able to achieve the goals of the service;
Whereas these regulations, set forth in part 97 of title 47 of the Code 
  of Federal Regulations clarify and extend the purposes of the amateur 
  radio service as a--
        (1) voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly 
    with respect to providing emergency communications;
        (2) contributing service to the advancement of the 
    telecommunications infrastructure;
        (3) service which encourages improvement of an individual's 
    technical and operating skills;
        (4) service providing a national reservoir of trained 
    operators, technicians and electronics experts; and
        (5) service enhancing international good will;
Whereas Congress finds that members of the amateur radio service 
  community has provided invaluable emergency communications services 
  following such disasters as Hurricanes Hugo, Andrew, and Iniki, the 
  Mt. St. Helens eruption, the Loma Prieta earthquake, tornadoes, 
  floods, wild fires, and industrial accidents in great number and 
  variety across the Nation; and
Whereas Congress finds that the amateur radio service has made a 
  contribution to our Nation's communications by its crafting, in 1961, 
  of the first Earth satellite licensed by the Federal Communications 
  Commission, by its proof-of-concept for search and rescue satellites, 
  by its continued exploration of the low Earth orbit in particular 
  pointing the way to commercial use thereof in the 1990s, by its 
  pioneering of communications using reflections from meteor trails, a 
  technique now used for certain government and commercial 
  communications, and by its leading role in development of low-cost, 
  practical data transmission by radio which increasingly is being put 
  to extensive use in, for instance, the land mobile service: Now, 
  therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS OF CONGRESS.

    Congress finds and declares that--
        (1) radio amateurs are hereby commended for their contributions 
    to technical progress in electronics, and for their emergency radio 
    communications in times of disaster;
        (2) the Federal Communications Commission is urged to continue 
    and enhance the development of the amateur radio service as a 
    public benefit by adopting rules and regulations which encourage 
    the use of new technologies within the amateur radio service; and
        (3) reasonable accommodation should be made for the effective 
    operation of amateur radio from residences, private vehicles and 
    public areas, and that regulation at all levels of government 
    should facilitate and encourage amateur radio operation as a public 
    benefit.







                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.







                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.