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On the eve of their annual convention, Vermont amateur radio enthusiasts told a Senate committee Friday that they should be exempt from a bill restricting the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving.

Mitch Stern of the club Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont told members of the Senate Transportation Committee that licensed ham radio operators provide a valuable emergency communications resource that benefits the public. Amateur radio operators will hold their annual Ham-Con convention Saturday at the Holiday Inn in South Burlington.

Get all of VTDigger's daily news. You'll never miss a story with our daily headlines in your inbox. Ham-Con Date: Saturday, Feb. 22

Time: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location: Holiday Inn Convention Center, South Burlington.

Admission: General admission $8.

At issue is whether a bill passed by the House, H.62, would allow amateur radio operators to use their devices while driving. Amateur radio equipment requires the user to hold a microphone while speaking, but does not require drivers to punch in numbers or look at the device to dial like a phone, for example, Stern said.

Stern said amateur radio operators are recognized as a safety organization by the state, in the same manner as fire and rescue groups. He said their networks are vital in emergency situations when mobile phones and other networks fail, such as during Tropical Storm Irene.

Stern told the senators how amateur radio operators have run the network that has facilitated the running of the Vermont City Marathon for the past 25 years. He also said ham operators relay messages to public safety officials when storms knock out other lines of communication.

He said his colleagues need to do much of this work from their cars.

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“We want to be the resolution in an emergency and not the emergency,” Stern said. He said that through FCC licensing and training radio operators “are the experts” in communications.

The committee was taking its first look Friday at the bill, which calls for a ban on the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving. The House overwhelmingly approved the measure last week, but it is strongly opposed by Gov. Peter Shumlin. Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Robert Ide repeated the governor’s opposition to senators Friday.

Committee Chair Sen. Dick Mazza, D-Grand Isle, asked Stern the difference between ham radio operators and CB, or citizen’s band, radio users.

There is no difference in the equipment, Stern said, but he made it clear that the FCC licensing requirement for amateur radio operators sets his group apart.

Other questions focused on the two-way radios frequently used by dispatchers to direct service and delivery vehicles on their routes, and the possible effect of the law on workers required to have commercial drivers licenses (CDL).

Matt Cota, executive director of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association, said CDL drivers, such as those who operate tractor trailers, are already prohibited by federal law from using cellphones while driving.

Twelve states and the District of Columbia have banned the use of hand-held cellphones while driving, but the language of those laws varies.

Stern said Washington state, Oregon, Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey have an exemption for amateur radio operators. New York state, which also bans hand-held devices, does not carry a ham radio exemption, Stern said.

Mazza said the committee will look to tie up some of these concerns when it continues discussion on the proposal next week.

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