First Year PRA Accomplishments

1. GMRS Enforcement Program developed with the assistance of the FCC and FCC Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth. PRA met with FCC Bureau Chief Kris Monteith in October 2005
2. Internet Advertisement Watch program created to find and report to the FCC sellers of contraband radio equipment not approved for use in the United States.
3. Began taking memberships while waiting for incorporation to take place.
4. Selected an attorney to begin incorporation as a 501c3.
5. Created enforcement committees in several states.
6. Developed a website with helpful FAQ's and other PRA related information including the Beacon FAQ, Emergency FAQ etc.
7. Stated the official position of the PRA regarding poorly planned national so-called SOS programs using GMRS or FRS.
8. Opened up dialog at PopularWireless.com with members and others regarding use of MDC1200.
9. Asked the FCC to deal with the severe interference problem caused by international shipping intruding on ALL GMRS channels while in U.S. ports.

Second Year PRA Accomplishments

The PRA and the FCC after some back and forth discussion with the FCC Enforcement Bureau spanning some twelve months have reached an agreement on a method to mitigate GMRS interference from international shipping in port cities. Initially the FCC felt that licensees should accept this occasional use by foreign shipping as one of the drawbacks of the radio service. The PRA pushed back. To Bureau Chief Kris Monteith's credit the FCC decided to write the United States Coast Guard an internal memorandum asking for their help reminding ship's Captains of the ITU regulations and international treaty that specifically state ships must use preferred radio channels in the United States and NOT GMRS channels. Ships are also forbidden by ITU regulations from causing harmful interference in US waters. International shipping has not complied with ITU regulations for over 20 years. In addition Mr. Riley Hollingsworth is accepting PRA interference complaints where a ship and shipping line have been identified. He writes letters explaining the ITU and NTIA regulations and asks the shipping company to comply. On the Chesapeake Bay, Dominion Corp remains a friend of the GMRS licensee by handling interference matters as part of their contract agreements. The PRA wants to expand the PRA Enforcement Program to include port monitors in US port cities to monitor compliance with the education effort. The PRA appreciates the FCC's assistance in this matter.

The PRA Enforcement Program reported a number of issues to the FCC Enforcement Bureau. Volunteers in various parts of the country are taking responsibility for their radio neighborhoods. The FCC continues to handle issues in a respectful way. Commercial users of the GMRS ineligible to license are asked to license properly on a business radio channel.