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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