New York City Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Service

The following is the conclusion of a 2012 FCC report concerning Amateur Radio. It is most
telling of how they are thinking about its role and capabilities during emergencies/disasters.

Federal Communications Commission

The Uses and Capabilities of Amateur Radio Service Communications in Emergencies and Disaster Relief: Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 6414 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012

By the Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau

DA 12-1342 | Adopted: August 16, 2012 | Released: August 20, 2012

IV. CONCLUSION

41. The amateur radio community and the emergency response and disaster communications communities all agree that amateur radio can be of great value in emergency response situations. Amateur radio carries with it a wide range of advantages that allow it to supplement other emergency communications activities during disasters. This has been demonstrated time and again in a wide variety of emergency and disaster situations. Amateur radio emergency communications require not only stations in a position to originate the emergency message, but also an alternative to the commercial communications infrastructure impacted by the emergency. This alternative infrastructure is the network of amateur radio operators and their stations that relay messages, build and maintain repeater stations and repeater networks, operate HF message networks to send messages greater distances than are practical with mobile or transportable transmitters, and develop new technologies to improve the reliability of these networks.

42. That value could potentially be increased, however, through cooperation among DHS [U.S. Department of Homeland Security], public safety, emergency management, and amateur radio emergency communications associations and groups to develop future training protocols.

We also recommend that DHS work with state, local, and tribal authorities to develop disaster area access policies and qualifications for trained amateur operators who provide emergency communications support.

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