A Blueprint For Victory on HOA/Covenant Antenna Reform

摘要

Slowly, inexorably, neighborhood by neighborhood by neighbor-hood, without the drama of Broadband Over Powerlines (BPL) technology or a "spectrum grab" by commercial interests, a paralyzing force has been silencing amateur radio operators across the United States. This paralyzing force is the spread of compulsory membership in Homeowners' Associations (HOAs), and/or involuntary servitude to restrictive covenants (CC&Rs), which in most cases act with impunity to ban all external ham antennas in affected areas. By now, backed in some cases by the directives of local governments, HOA/ covenant antenna bans have spread to encompass entire towns, entire counties, and even entire states. For example, it is now legally necessary to establish an HOA when building a new housing development anywhere in Fairfax County, Virginia- a suburb of Washington, DC, with more than 1,000,000 residents- or virtually anywhere in the State of Colorado. Most of these HOAs ban external ham antennas.