Is It Legal To Rebroadcast

ronmicha · #1 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 10:33 AM

I'm just throwing this out there. Is it legal to rebroadcast a radio signal? I seem to recall reading on the FCC site somewhere, or maybe in the Communications Act, that rebroadcast of a radio signal is not legal. I'd sure hate for any of us guys to get into trouble. I know it's done in cities around the country and don't recall any arrests or citations but for some reason it's stuck in the back of my mind that you're not supposed to do it. I know you can't rebroadcast encrypted signals and news media signals but can't remember the other categories.
Thanks.
Ron

rdale · #2 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 10:38 AM

Rebroadcast what? To who? Using what equipment?

ronmicha · #3 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 10:40 AM

I'm sorry. I thought my question was self-explanatory. Any signal. Broadcast to anyone. Using any equipment.
Ron

milf · #4 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 10:43 AM

And the answer is.....

Tecnically no, but you usually don't see the "Powers That Be" wasting time in courts "YET" over this. Only a few agencies have requested that those rebroadcasting them take the feed offline. Now if you want to make sure that things are hunky dory, always ask the PR folks of the agencies in question if they would be offended. This goes in triplicate on forms with your grandmother's maiden name signed for ANY FEDERAL AGENCY,.... Especially them thar alphabet boyz! AKA: FBI, CIA, DEA, DOJ.... Lil hint.. look at the way we at this website handle federal/military info....

rdale · #5 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 11:39 AM

milf: He's not talking about online.

If you start retransmitting your local fire department on ham radio frequencies, you will get busted. If you take your police department and hack your ham radio to send it on 155.400 you will get busted. If you want to resend either over FRS to cover you in the back yard, you'll be fine. What cities around the country do what you are talking about?

tspainiv · #6 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 12:25 PM

He's talking about live feeds online of PS comms.

dynamitedjs · #7 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 01:23 PM

www.incidentbroadcast.com

and there are others. Online feeds are all over the place. Nothing has been done to stop them. So I would say it's legal.

ez_duce · #8 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 05:30 PM

Isnt the issue with rebroadcasting to keep from causing interference? So, your local police is on 465.000, and you rebroadcast them on 817.000. That's wrong because your interfering with whomever is assigned 817.000 If you stream live on the internet, you are not interfereing with any other radio frequency and the person who listens must seek out the feed location in order to listen. Seems that the two are different enough.

memphislawenforcer · #9 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 10:17 PM

I'm with ez duce. I don't think you can broadcast over the internet (at least in the FCC's definition of the word) I think you mearly make the audio available to be listened to VIA the web. Broadcasting in general is illegal for hams, that may be where you got the term broadcasting from. However I disagree with rdale about hacking your ham to transmit on police freqs. I think as long as you did not transmit you would be ok, it would be difficult for anyone to find out that you had done it and no one would really care until you transmitted on it, it is illegal but not the kind of thing anyone investigates until there is a problem. But the FCC itself says taht you can transmit out of band even on police freqs of that is the only means of communication you have during an emergency situation. Just a thought.

N_Jay · #10 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 10:55 PM

There are all sorts of issues.
Some radio services (most) don't allow broadcasting.
Some don't even allow an unattended transmitter.
Many do not allow interconnection with another radio service.
And there is the underlying issues with distribution of the content of an intercepted transmission, and if you have legal access to what you are using as the output frequency.

Not saying its ilegal, just ther eare more ways than one how it could be.

ez_duce · #11 (**permalink**) 12-07-2005, 02:31 AM

In short - I guess these laws were all written BEFORE the internet came around. I suppose the FCC hasn't gotten around to updating the laws taking into account live internet streaming. (If they have, i dont know about it) In my opinion i dont see how my listening to the Boston PD, here in TN is going to be illegal. Maybe that's just wishful thinking though...

dynamitedjs · #12 (**permalink**) 12-07-2005, 02:34 AM

and come to think of it, live streaming or internet listening to this is RE-BROADCASTING....not broadcasting. That may be the loop hole. He did state at the beginning of this thread REBROADCASTING......

rdale · #13 (**permalink**) 12-07-2005, 05:36 AM

"However I disagree with rdale about hacking your ham to transmit on police freqs."

You cannot. Re-read my example. If you broadcast your local DOT channel on police freq's, it is illegal and you will be caught.

milf · #14 (**permalink**) 12-07-2005, 10:31 AM

As I stated.. REbroadcasting of any signal is TECHNICALLY ILLEGAL vias FCC guidelines. Though currently you don't see too many cases in the legal system about this issue in the sense of INTERNET REbroadcast of a radio signal "YET". If your thinking of a radio rebroadcast vias ANY source, be it HAM, or otherwise..... Your in trouble! The only source for REbroadcasting that I am unsure of is the new field of SatRad.... As far as I know it would still be ILLEGAL, though the FCC has NO jurisdiction as of yet on Sat transmissions for radio purposes, hence the move of "Shock Jocks" to that medium. But since your taking a radio transmission (WHICH IS under the protection of FEDERAL LAW) and then putting it on the sat medium..... then your violating the ECPA, UNLESS you have permission from the ORIGINAL broadcaster of siad transmissions. But in the medium of internet broadcasting..... Its a fine line we walk... both in online scanner feeds, and in those of us that have been, and again will be internet DJ's on online stations.....

N_Jay · #15 (**permalink**) 12-07-2005, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milf

. . . . though the FCC has NO jurisdiction as of yet on Sat transmissions for radio purposes, hence the move of "Shock Jocks" to that medium.. . .....

Just a quick correction, the FCC does have jurisdiction of satellite services, it is just that SUBSCRIPTION services have different requirements under decency regulations.

milf · #16 (**permalink**) 12-08-2005, 10:15 AM

Ahh TY for the info.