Mac Newbold wrote:
Today at 12:01am, Oscar Schultz said:
I'm more interested in the communications part of EP. Most plans I
see setup a
structure around ham radio ops and voice or cw traffic as done from
the 30's
through the 40's, 50's and into today. Ham traffic can not be secured to
encrypt the data as required by some of the new privacy laws. As I
read the
regs I can not see any legal way to pass traffic which may reveal
information
about the heath or status of anyone especially a minor. Also if a
cell phone
is available you may not be able to legally pass traffic of any
meaningful
nature via a ham radio (even if the cell phone only works some).
How are various folks/groups dealing with the requirements to protect
personal
information? What do folks understand the FCC regs of data traffic on
Ham
versus cell phones to include?
The Church is the force pushing ham radio for emergency communication.
There is a calling at the stake (and in some cases, ward) level for
Emergency Communications Specialist. Their calling is to be a ham
radio operator (or work closely with one) to coordinate communication
between the stake and the Church (via the local Welfare Region,
generally) in an emergency. The Church has numerous resources in place
to facilitate such emergency communication, and there's a weekly
on-the-air training meeting, in the Salt Lake area at least, for
people serving this way. The church has radio equipment and operators
ready, including repeaters with emergency power, so that they can
maintain effective communication in a disaster.
That network is not all inclusive. Even though the FCC removed the
requirement for Morse Code to get a license some years back, there has
not been a surge in HAM/SSB and other forms of licensed communication.
Many people still find it easier to use whatever is available and do not
consider what happens in an emergency to the public grid.
The guideline on privacy that I heard last time I talked with them
(about a year ago, more or less) was that no names or identifying
information was to be passed on the air. They said that primarily it
would be a matter of identifying the stake for which you were
reporting, and giving information about the current situation and
needs and what assistance you may be able to provide to others. All
information about people (members or not) would be in the form of
numbers only - counts of people, totals, and never names or other
personally identifying information.
Regarding cell phones, they'll be heavily used in a disaster if the
towers stay in service. If 30-50% of cell phone owners try and use
them at the same time, the towers won't stay in service for long, they
just can't handle that capacity. I'm not sure what you're talking
about with regards to it being illegal to "pass traffic of any
meaningful nature via a ham radio (even if the cell phone only works
some)". My cell phone works great right now, and it is perfectly legal
for me to use my ham radio, to pass "meaningful" information or just
to pass the time. I know of nothing that would restrict use of ham
radios depending on whether or not the cell or other phone networks
were operable. All the amatuer radio rules regarding priority of
traffic and yeilding a channel to higher priority traffic are in full
force regardless of any emergency situation.
A general rule of thumb that has been in use for some time has been to
dump all public traffic, starting with long distance service and working
back towards local phone traffic in order to keep the lines clear for
emergency service personnel and reverse 911 service to order evacuations
if needed. This includes cell phones as they connect to the PSTN through
the providing carrier. As an example, in the Northridge CA earthquake a
few years back, local, long distance and cell traffic was dumped by the
major carriers as their systems were swamped with people trying to call
out for help, to tell relatives they were OK, and people trying to call
in to check on relatives. What most people don't understand is that many
of the phone networks in the US and around the world are incapable of
handling simultaneous traffic for ALL the phone numbers they actually
issue. To wit: If everyone in SLC picked the phone at the same time and
tried to dial out, US West would be overwhelmed with the number of
attempts to connect somewhere as they do not provide the processing or
the line capability to handle it. Most of the time, their networks are
underutilized as not everyone will pick up the phone and occupy and
virtual circuit all at once all day long. As such, they estimate they're
average utilization and peak hours and provision according to that
calculation. It's called the Erlanger ratio for anyone who understands
phone networks.
I'm interested in finding out more about the privacy laws to which you
refer. I as a private person am under no commitment of which I am
aware to protect privacy in my communication, whether in person or on
the air. I discuss health and wellbeing issues with other people quite
often, both about myself or themselves, or when appropriate, that of a
third party, who may or may not be a minor. I understand that certain
organizations or professions may be under different obligations, like
HIPAA for example, but I am not aware of a way in which I am bound by
it. Of course it would not be desirable to pass private information
over a broadcast media like ham radio if one did not desire that
information to be made public, but I'm not aware of how it could be
illegal for me personally to do so.
If you want to do research on HIPPA go here: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/
I have yet to see a doctor or surgeon collared by the federal government
for discussing a patient over
a cell phone. As a matter of fact, that is SOP for most.
BTW, most networks like Sprint use encrypted packets to prevent piggy
backing, and other forms of wire fraud, so, unlike the old AMPS analog
system, your transmissions are not in the clear.
...Paul
Thanks,
Mac
--
Mac Newbold MNE - Mac Newbold Enterprises, LLC
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.macnewbold.com/
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