FCC makes Notice in Response to Ham Radio Use in Protests
The FCC has made a statement regarding the use of using radios (Ham, FRS, and GMRS) to commit crimes and communicate illegal activity over the airwaves.
This notice, DA 21-73 can be viewed here:
https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-21-73A1.pdf
Not much to unpack here given the current world events and the obvious use of radio in recent (and past) riots and protests. They have made a notice in response to Intel that rioters at state capitals would use radio communication after being banned off of social media. The FCC does not have a great track record when it comes to enforcing the rules on the airwaves, and so it would be in their best interest to issue a statement to prepare for upcoming legal battles.
The same day, the ARRL issued a statement of their own, which you can find here:
http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-on-the-purpose-of-amateur-radio
“The purpose of Amateur Radio” is a statement from the ARRL to send a message to the FCC saying “We don’t condone this, and it isn’t a reflection the amateur radio community”
After these statements were issued, CNN picked it up, and now unfortunately, when I google
“cnn ham radio” I’m greeted with an article declaring
“Blocked from social media, extremists discuss turning to radios to plan attacks, FCC warns“
Events like this are not good for the health of the Amateur Radio community, and I think we should all keep an eye on these events as they unfold. I don’t think we will see any issues come out of it, but it would be interesting to see the FCC take action.