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                                           ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL NO. 1346

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State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives Meyers, Sutherland, S. Wilson, Belcher, R. King, Amondson, Cantwell, P. King, Grimm, Holland, Lewis, J. Williams, Sanders, Zellinsky, Smith, Cooper and K. Wilson

Read first time 1/13/88 and referred to Committee on Natural Resources.

AN ACT Relating to leasing communication sites on state lands for emergency and public service communications; and adding new sections to chapter 79.12 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The department of natural resources leases state lands and space on towers located on state lands to amateur radio operators for their repeater stations.  These sites are necessary to maintain emergency communications for public safety and for use in disaster relief and search and rescue support.

          The licensed amateur radio operators of the state provide thousands of hours of public communications service to the state every year.  Their communication network spans the entire state, based in individual residences and linked across the state through a series of mountain-top repeater stations.  The amateur radio operators install and maintain their radios and the electronic repeater stations at their own expense.  The amateur radio operators who use their equipment to perform public services should not bear the sole responsibility for supporting the electronic repeater stations.

          In recognition of the essential role performed by the amateur radio operators in emergency communications, the legislature intends to reduce the rental fee paid by the amateur radio operators while assuring the department of natural resources full market rental for the use of state-owned property.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The department of natural resources shall determine the lease rate for amateur radio electronic repeater sites and units available for public service communication.  For the first repeater unit placed at a department communication site by an amateur radio lessee eligible for a reduced rate under this section, the lessee shall pay fifty percent of the amateur radio rental established by the department.  For any subsequent repeater unit placed at the same facility by an eligible amateur radio lessee, the lessee shall pay twenty-five percent of the rental established by the department.

          The amateur radio regulatory authority approved by the federal communication commission shall assign the radio frequencies used by amateur radio lessees.  The department shall develop guidelines to determine which lessees are to receive reduced rental fees as moneys are available by legislative appropriation to pay a portion of the rent for electronic repeaters operated by amateur radio operators.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     Sections 1 and 2 of this act are each added to chapter 79.12 RCW.