In the USA, the FCC has recently opened for comment RM-11831, a proposal that would change the US amateur radio rules and could have lasting consequences for boaters. RM-11831 is a proposed radio rule revision that, among other things, would require radio transmissions be open to public scrutiny. It also means that for ACDS [Automatically Controlled Digital Stations] to continue to operate on ham radio frequencies, they’ll have to use openly decodable transmissions to be in compliance with FCC rules.
Where this rule collides with the needs of boaters, is in the fact that sailors rely on a variety of ACDS services such as Pactor, Winlink and D-Star which use encrypted digital protocols. If the proposed rule change is adopted it could mean the end, or diminishment, of these services and the end of their innovative development.
RM-1183, argues NYU Professor Theodore Rappaport, in a letter in favor of the rule, “assures national security by providing transparency and self-monitoring by the public of all amateur radio transmissions in the HF spectrum that routinely cross international borders.”
In contrast, Winlink has posted a message on their website saying the rule change would force them, “to close shop for US licensees on HF amateur bands or to eliminate B2F compression for messages sent by US-licensed amateurs. This will cause US users of all modes to suffer much longer transmission times by a factor of 2-10 times.”
Additionally, the ruling could eliminate Pactor 2, 3, and 4 from the US amateur bands unless SCS (the only manufacturer of Pactor modems) publishes complete technical specifications including their proprietary signal processing methods, and produces an open-source monitoring program allowing on-air eavesdropping by third parties. This will effectively shut down all US Sailmail stations as well.
The comment period closes on April 27th, 2019.
To file your own comment:
Visit www.fcc.gov
Click the dark blue box on right: “File Public Comment”.
Look for RM-11831
Choose “Express Comment” in the right-hand column
As reported by:
The (very technical) FCC Petition RM-11831
Noonsite has not independently verified this information.
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We would have complete access to NYU professor Theo Rappaport emails, text, phone and letters he may send or receiver in order to assure national security.