I got my
ham radio license a few years ago (KC2JZR) and was surprised to find
myself joining a network of over 3 million people worldwide (700,000 in
the U.S. alone). I got my license because I am a geek. But what really
piqued my interest was the organization that supported me – the ARRL.
The American Radio Relay League is the voice of Amateur Radio (or ham
radio operators, "hams"). This not-for-profit group represents a
fascinating hybrid of DIY energy and enthusiasm working effectively
with big government, in this case the FCC. Here’s a snip from their website:

Today ARRL, with approximately 152,000 members, is the largest
organization of radio amateurs in the United States. The ARRL is a
not-for-profit organization that:
• promotes interest in Amateur Radio communications and experimentation
• represents US radio amateurs in legislative matters, and
• maintains fraternalism and a high standard of conduct among Amateur Radio operators.

And this isn’t some little outfit running on a shoestring budget:

At ARRL headquarters in the Hartford suburb of Newington, a staff
of 120 helps serve the needs of members. ARRL is also International
Secretariat for the International Amateur Radio Union, which is made up
of similar societies in 150 countries around the world.

If you visit the FCC’s website and look up Amateur Radio you find a
whole section on it. The hams of the world get serious respect. This is
from the FCC web site regarding the role of Amateur Radio:

• Promotion and enhancement of the Amateur Radio Service as a voluntary noncommercial public communications service.
• Continual advancement of the art of radio communication.
• Expansion of the reservoir of trained radio operators and electronic experts.
• Enhancement of international goodwill at the grass roots level.

This is a stunning example of not just the power of these "amateurs"
but how the U.S. government has encouraged, accommodated and cooperated
with the public in ways that most people don’t appreciate or even know
about. But it’s easy to find out more. Just check this out.  I can’t think of any other national, volunteer organization that has such systematic impact on things so important.

There is a critical issue facing us today, especially in the wake of
the September 11 terrorist attacks and the Katrina disaster in NOLA.
How much are we going to rely on government to take care of us and how
much are we going to do ourselves? Thomas Paine said in "Common Sense"
that "Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness",
and all too often over the past few days I’ve been feeling that
distinction. My confidence in government to do the "right thing" is at
an all time low. I know I’m not alone. The digitally enabled masses are
speaking up via blogs, SMS, forums, etc. and big media is paying
attention, alerting the public at large of the discussion. All this is
a good start. But it’s only that.

One of my themes on this blog is the power of DIY, not just as a way
to build things, but as a way to view the world, as a way to live. In a
way, if you had to categorize it, it’s sort of libertarian. But it’s
really more about control – over your life, over your world. In ceding
all control over our safety to the government we are, in effect,
forfeiting a huge chunk of our freedom. We expose ourselves to all
sorts of potential problems – big ones. So what do we do? I find the
existence of the ARRL enormously encouraging. Clearly, the public at
large can not just shoulder the burden of public safety, but I do think
that technology, designed creatively, distributed economically, and
used cooperatively with government can, and absolutely should, play a
key role in helping all of us sleep better at night. The ARRL is a
perfect example of this. I anticipate much more discussion in the
coming months and years as we try to deconstruct what happened in NOLA.
I’m hoping the ARRL gets the credit they deserve but more importantly,
I hope that it inspires our leaders to issue a call to arms. All of us
need to take more responsibility for our own, as well as our
communities’ safety. And I strongly believe technology can play a
crucial role.