[RTTY] ARRL Bandwidth Proposal - FCC Invites Comments

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

> From: George Henry
>
> All I have ever argued was that there is no legitimate, and,
> as someone else pointed out, legal grounds for the FCC to
> require software developers to make their wares available for
> free, which is in fact what you advocated in one of your
> earlier messages:
>
> >Since the original language was mine ...
>
> > "Freely available" is downloadable from a central site or
> > available for the cost of postage and media.

I am simply saying that in order for the Amateur Service to
be effectively self- (or peer-) policing, the Commission has
every right (and the duty) to permit the use of only protocols
and modulation for which freely available software is available.

If a manufacturer believes a market exists for his product, he
will must make the software available in order to sell his
product into the amateur market.  If he is not willing to make
software available to support use of the product/protocol - it
has no place on the amateur bands.

There is no "taking" involved ... simply a requirement that all
protocols/modulation methods can be freely monitored by the
average amateur.  To do otherwise would risk permanent damage
to the Amateur Service and particularly the HF allocations.  It
would be tantamount to turning large sections of Yellowstone
or Grand Teton National Park into a "private club" where anything
goes and the rest of the public are locked out.

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV