December 2003 Government Affairs Update

 

1.                 New Form SF-330.

The new Form SF-330 was recently introduced and becomes effective optionally on January 12, 2004 and mandatory on June 8, 2004. In other words, Federal agencies MAY use the form beginning on January 12 and MUST use the form after June 8. Originally, the form was to become effective 6 months after it appears in the Federal Register. The form appeared in the Federal Register on December 11, therefore, it should have become effective on June 11, 2004.

The changes on the new form, from SF-254 and SF-255 are not drastic, but they are significant and important. ACSM will be working with COFPAES to protest the early effective date and to try to get the effective date pushed back to June.

 

2.                 NOAA National Ocean Service Constituent Roundtable.

Laurence Socci recently attended a roundtable sponsored by NOAA for NOS constituents. The roundtable was informative and included representatives from NOAA. Some highlights of the roundtable were: Hydrographic Surveying and Services (NOS plans to outsource more than $40 million in hydrographic surveying services in FY 2004.); National Shoreline Mapping (The NOS National Geodetic Survey has set a goal to map 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline over a 10 year cycle.); and National Spatial Reference System (A major component of the NSRS is the network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations. CORS data makes it possible to position navigational aids, obstructions, tidal benchmarks, and other infrastructure within a few centimeters accuracy.) NOS plans to have similar roundtables throughout the next year on a variety of topics.

 

3.                 FCC Stays Rule Indefinitely.

On December 3, the FCC stayed indefinitely its deadline for implementing narrowband technology in the private land mobile radio (PLMR) service. In its Order, the Commission recognized that many PLMR systems are used for extremely important public safety or critical infrastructure purposes. It also found that licensees may not have sufficient time to plan all of the necessary modifications to their existing wideband systems, or to plan new wideband systems that must be compatible with existing wideband systems before the January 13, 2004 deadline. The Commission was concerned that retaining the January 13 deadline would “adversely affect public safety communications and critical infrastructure operations.”

 

4.                 ACSM Government Affairs Consultant Appears Live on the Web.

ACSM Government Affairs Consultant appeared live on the web Friday, December 12 on the Solar Powered News Network (SPNN.net) from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm eastern standard

time to discuss the lobbying game in Washington. SPNN has archived the show.