INTRODUCTION
In their original form bills introduced by Rep. Ed. Markey (D-MA) and
Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA) would have required scanner manufacturers to
filter out so many additional public frequencies that have no connection
to cellular telephone comm6unication, that scanners would have been rendered
useless and/or so expensive as to make them cost prohibitive to produce or
purchase. Set out below are some6 of the many groups that use scanners for
beneficial purposes that would have been directly affected by the scanner
legislation in its original form.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Law enforcement and public safety agencies are one of the largest user
groups for commercially produced scanners. In many states, State Police
patrol cars have a scanner installed directly in the center communications
console. Troopers have to stay abreast of the law enforcement activity
in the communities through which they are patrolling. A scanner provides
an ideal medium for presenting a variety of police and other communications
frequencies to an officer. Many off-duty police officers also use scanners
at home and in their cars to stay abreast of disasters, civil disturbances,
and other emergencies which may require them to return to duty. There is
no alternative to a scanner for these officers.
COMMUNITY WATCH/CRIME WATCH
Community Watch (also known as Crime Watch) groups utilize scanners to
stay informed about criminal and law enforcement activity in their
neighborhood (e.g. to report or monitor law enforcement activity for
the residents, or to notify other crime watch members on patrol of activity
in the area).
SPOUSES OF POLICE OFFICERS
Husbands and wives of police officers routinely listen to scanners while
their spouses are on duty. Scanners have helped these spouses maintain
a closeness each day when their partner leaves their house, a better
understanding of what their partner is up against each day, and a sense
of security as they hear their radio transmissions and know that they
are safe.
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS
Volunteer, call and off-duty paid firefighters rely on both pagers and
scanners to alert them to a fire or an emergency medical service call.
Volunteers utilize scanners at home, in their car or truck, and on their
person to stay in tune with fire service activity in their community and
their county. Should Congress effectively ban scanners, these volunteers
would have to buy expensive non-scanning radios, which would not perform
as well and would cost them significantly more money.
GENERAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATION
Numerous public safety groups and public service emergency volunteers
make extensive use of scanners, and would be affected and irreparably
damaged by the new legislation. A ban of scanners would mean that
groups who used these radios to monitor and co-ordinate their emergency
service activities would be left out of touch. These groups include:
* Civil Air Patrol
* Police Explorers
* REACT (CB) Emergency Teams
* First Responders
MARITIME USERS AND RECREATIONAL BOATERS
Commercial and recreational boaters, commercial fishermen, dredge and
tugboat operators, and many others use scanners to monitor developing
marine weather conditions, and to monitor distress signals from other
boaters. Scanners are an invaluable tool for boat operators and marine
safety officials in monitoring routine maritime communication as well
as emergency calls.
LOCAL AND NATIONAL NEWS MEDIA
The news media utilizes scanners to get their stories and keep the public
informed. A scanner is essential for this task. TV news assignment
desk editors, the Metro section editor of city newspapers, and individual
reporters and photographers use scanners. Scanners allow journalists to
arrive quickly on the scene of developing news stories, and a legislative
ban on scanners will deprive the media of an important tool in the
reporting of news.
TRAFFIC REPORTING
Traffic control and reporting services, including commuter helicopter
traffic reporters, make extensive use of scanners. From Metro Traffic
Control, to Shadow Traffic and SmartRoutes, all these groups rely
heavily on scanners to inform them, and subsequently the public, of
accidents and road closures.
AUTO RACING FANS
Hundreds of thousands of scanners are sold to race fans who scan their
favorite driver at NASCAR, Indycar and other racing events. All race
teams use business-band radio frequencies to communicate between the
cars, the pit crew, the crew chief and other members of the race team.
Indeed, most professional race teams are assigned specific frequencies
which are published in the race program and other publications. Race
fans monitor the constant communication on their scanners. A scanner
ban would make going to the track much less enjoyable. The racing
circuits have encouraged fans to bring scanners -- they now encourage
dealers to sell and rent scanners at every track in the nation and
they contract with ESPN and ABC to re-broadcast from the studio to race
radios (scanners) during the event.
SKI ORGANIZATIONS
Scanners are widely used by ski clubs, ski patrols and skiers in general
to monitor public safety developments, weather conditions and public
service announcements.
TWO-WAY SHOPS NATIONWIDE
Scanners are used as test equipment and low-cost receiving devices by
thousands of professional communications service shops around the nation.
These small businesses reflect the backbone of the two-way industry,
providing radio equipment and services for public safety, federal, state
and local governments, businesses and the general public.
AMATEUR (HAM) RADIO
Radio "Hams" have been around since almost the beginning of radio. These
amateur radio enthusiasts make extensive use of scanners to locate open
frequencies and to locate other ham radio operators. Banning scanners
would directly impact this large community. In addition, there is a public
safety dimension to banning scanner use by hams because a significant
percentage of hams use scanners to follow and report on public safety
incidents and natural and man-made disasters. Ham "RACES" (Radio
Amateur Civil Emergency Service) and "ARES" (Amateur Radio Emergency
Service) groups, thousands of which are located across the country in
support of state and local emergency management agencies, are critical
to our nation's security.
RETIREES, THE DISABLED AND SHUT-INS
Scanners are used extensively by senior citizens, disabled citizens and
others confined to their homes by infirmity or other cause. Indeed, a
number of advocacy groups for the disabled encourage use of scanners to
keep them abreast of public safety information, law enforcement reports
and weather reports.
WEATHER EMERGENCY REPORTING
Scanners are used throughout the country, but particularly in the midwest
and southwest, to monitor severe weather developments and weather
emergencies. People in many areas of the country learn about severe
thunderstorms and tornado watches and warnings from the National Weather
Service on NOAA weather radio channels, and from reports of weather
spotters, county sheriffs and fire departments. Small towns scattered
throughout the farm belt have relied on scanners for years as a way to
monitor conditions in neighboring communities and to determine if and
when to sound the tornado siren. Any legislation affecting scanners
will affect these groups of users.
NATURAL DISASTER WARNING
Whether it has been the Mississippi River floods, the earthquake in
Los Angeles, the Oakland fires, hurricane Andrew or any northeast
blizzard, scanners have proven an invaluable source of information for
millions of Americans during a time of emergency. Scanners have been used
to foretell of impending evacutation notices, of school closures, of
roads being impassable, and of general conditions.