Forest Service proposing annual fee for Ham repeater sites

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB032
ARLB032 ARRL to Oppose Forest Service Administrative Fees for
Amateur Facilities

ZCZC AG32
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 32 ARLB032
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT December 28, 2021
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB032
ARLB032 ARRL to Oppose Forest Service Administrative Fees for
Amateur Facilities

The US Forest Service is proposing to implement a statutorily
required annual fee for new and existing communications use
authorizations to cover the costs of administering its authorization
program. ARRL plans to vigorously oppose the imposition of the
proposed fees on Amateur Radio.

The Forest Service proposal results from requirements set forth in
the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka "the Farm Bill").
Specifically, section 8705(c)(3)(b) of the Farm Bill directs the
Forest Service to issue regulations that require fees for issuing
communications use authorizations based on the cost to the Agency
for maintenance or other activities to be performed by the Agency
"as a result of the location or modification of a communications
facility."

The Forest Service is responsible for managing Federal lands and
authorizes the use and occupancy of National Forest System (NFS)
lands for communications facilities that provide communications
services for adjacent rural and urban communities. The Agency said
in its proposal that it administers more than 3,700 special use
authorizations on NFS lands for infrastructure that supports more
than 10,000 wireless communications uses at 1,367 communications
sites.

According to the Forest Service Notice published in the December 22,
2021 issue of the Federal Register, revenues from the proposed fee,
"would provide the funds necessary to support a more modernized,
efficient, and enhanced communications use program," and will "cover
the costs of administering the Agency's communications use program."
Costs, as laid out in section 8705(f)(4) of the Farm Bill, may
include expenditures for such things as "on-site reviews of
communications sites, developing communications site management
plans, hiring and training personnel for the communications use
program, conducting internal and external outreach for and national
oversight of the communications use program, and obtaining or
improving access to communications sites on NFS lands."

ARRL encourages Amateur Radio licensees to file comments opposing
the imposition of the proposed administrative fee on Amateur Radio
users. Comments must be received in writing by no later than
February 22, 2022.

Comments may be submitted online at the Federal Rulemaking Portal
at, https://www.regulations.gov/ , or via USPS mail to Director,
Lands & Realty Management Staff, 201 14th Street SW, Washington, DC
20250-1124, and must include the identifier "RIN 0596-AD44."
NNNN
/EX

 

Some repeater club’s dues may be going up.

 

If you read the entire proposal, they made a serious error in their calculation of the amount of money that they think it will take to do annual site inspections.

 

Just to be clear, the proposed fee is for ALL communications sites, not just amateur sites. I am surprised there are only 1,367 sites!

 

That is the site locations, there are usually multiple individual sites within the boundaries of the FS subdivision. I think it is 3600 or so.

 

The headline on the post makes it appear as though the USFS is planning on imposing fees on amateur facilities ONLY, when this is not the case. The fees will be applied across the board, whether it's amateur, cellular, business band, etc. Posting misleading headlines doesn't help anything.

 

Hams should pay for it. Tower space is extremely valuable real estate.

 

The fees are not for tower space, per se. They are a proposed fee of $1400 per year on every comm site on FS property. This is in addition to the regular fees that are already being paid.

 

This is old new from a year or more ago.

Is there any new Breaking News ?

 

Just released by the ARRL yesterday

 

Just came out a week or so ago.

 

It is fatuous to impose these fees on non-commercial services. Someone doesn't know a damn thing about Part 97 if you ask me.... and that someone likely wrote the language of the fee proposal.

 

Reading between the lines I would presume the FS asked for the authorization, at least didn’t oppose it. I can see the logic; it costs them something to administer comm facilities and the FS is already starved for funds.

Whether the amateur radio service ought to have a reduced or zero fee is a different question. It might be very difficult to give us special treatment, even if they want to, unless the law allows it.

 

Hey Guys,
The USFS is proposing to charge fees for radio repeater sites located in the national forests to the tune of $1,400,00 a year. The comment period is now through 02/2022.

https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2021-12-22/2021-27681

My comment Please feel free to copy any of this to make your response:
Sir, I'm very concerned about the proposed fees by the USFS for radio repeaters, because of the volunteer work performed by Ham Radio operators during emergencies. They have provided valuable communication service for the Government and the citizens during major emergencies such as fires, floods, earthquakes and such.
I am a member of a group which volunteers to repair and maintain off highway vehicle trails in the San Bernardino National Forest Adopt-a-Trail program. We use the mountain top repeaters to coordinate our activates. Hams have used these repeaters to call in emergencies such as fires, vehicle accidents, medical emergencies, and during periods of high fire danger assisting the USFS with Fire Watch Patrols in areas where there is no cell phone coverage.
For the above reasons I am Asking you to remove radio repeaters owned by Ham Radio operators from this proposed fee program.
Thank you,
Roger Peterson - N6UJM
XXXX XXX XXXX XX
Lucerne Valley, CA 93456
760-XXX-XXX

 

Posted weeks ago

https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?th...ing-annual-fee-for-ham-repeater-sites.793512/