"Dee D. Flint" wrote-

I repeat the words in 97.1a amount only to a recognition of the fact
that we
do public service and encouragement to us to continue. It is not an
authorization to do public service. We need no authorization
whatsoever to
do public service. Amateur radio operators have always participated
in
public service and have done so since before those words were
incorporated
into the FCC rules. There is NO mandate. There is NO authorization.

You guys are engaged in picking fly**** out of the pepper pot. Since
97.1 is headlined "Basis and Purpose", we can pretty much accept that
97.1(a) is the equivalent of a direct order.

Putting it another way, if ARRL BoD at their meeting this weekend passes
a resolution that the FCC has not authorized us to public service
communications, and therefore hams are no longer mandated to provide it,
our continued use of the spectrum would come to a quick end.

73, de Hans, K0HB