When will LAFD get with the times

[AZScanner]

...and provide their own live audio feed?

For those of you who do not know about LaLa land, they have a law on the books making streaming of the LAFD a crime. Their logic is that someone could possibly create a panic or some such by broadcasting fake calls or something - I forget now but it's really stupid. Anyway, the only legal way to listen to the LAFD over the internet would be if they themselves provided the feed or if the law itself was repealed.

Well LAFD, how about it? Will it EVER happen? Can someone with a brain either hook a computer up to a console or better still get this retarded law repealed? Talk about ridiculous!

Discuss...

-AZ

 

[SkipSanders]

Los Angeles doesn't have a special law. They simply will call you on the violation of the FEDERAL law against rebroadcasting ANYTHING you recieve over the air.

Yes, lots of people do it. No, the FCC doesn't have the personel, time, or concern to enforce it. Lots of people speed on the highway, too. That won't get you off if you get caught and ticketed, though.

Title 47 USC 605 is the relevant law. As it always has, it prohibits rebroadcast or revealing content of any communication over radio to anyone other than one of the involved parties, or a few limited exceptions.

If any agency you're streaming tells you to stop, and you don't, they may directly haul you into court under 605, without the feds ever doing anything. They will, likely, before doing that, go to your ISP, to have you shut off, I'd expect.

Adding: The offical LAFD page on this subject: Los Angeles Fire Department on Audio Streams

And, LAFD's official frequency list page LAFD Scanner Frequencies

They encourage people to listen to them on scanners.

 

[N_Jay]

Isn't it wonderful how people come up with the greatest reasons why something is when they really don't know.:twisted: :twisted: :lol: :twisted: :twisted:

 

[zerg901]

http://www.geocities.com/45peter/gass.html - this explains why all unencrypted govt comms are fair game. Additionally, the FCC has said that they have no jurisdiction over the Internet. Peter S

 

[N_Jay]

http://www.geocities.com/45peter/gass.html - this explains why all unencrypted govt comms are fair game. Additionally, the FCC has said that they have no jurisdiction over the Internet. Peter S

I try not to get my legal advice from unverified web sites.

Especially those with so much bad information on them so its hard to tel what is good information.

 

[OffRoadjunkie]

Los Angeles doesn't have a special law. They simply will call you on the violation of the FEDERAL law against rebroadcasting .

"That depends on what the definition of broadcast IS, IS"... Pres Clinton.

 

[zerg901]

Dear N Jay -

What do you mean by a "unverified website"?

What "bad information" are you talking about?

Peter S

 

[SkipSanders]

The point is, it's currently 'subject to question' whether it's legal to divulge, or not. That means empty pockets you gets to face tax-fed pockets agency in court, if they choose to prosecute. YOU get hit with court fees, lawyer fees, etc, for as long as they feel like appealing any losing decisions. IF they lose.

If you're willing to be the very expensive 'test case' to determine what the law is, feel free to ignore a 'request' to desist from some agency. If you aren't, you'd better be real attentive to such 'requests'.

 

[AZScanner]

Ah. my bad, I thought they had a special law but Skip is right. They explain it all on their audio page that Skip linked.

Still, they've had that "official audio" page up for YEARS. What gives? At this rate, 20 years from now, when LAFD will be dispatched via P25 phase 3 triple DES holographic microwave link, they'll still have this lame "we are working on it still" page. Come on.

Better yet LAFD, take a look at all of the other agencies being broadcast by hobbyists over Teamspeak, Easystream, shoutcast, media encoder, etc. All of these agencies have been rebroadcast by hobbyists for years and years. Despite this "blatant violation" of federal law, the sky has not fallen, the FCC has not been flooded with complaints, and no one has been sued, hurt, fooled by false dispatches or even broken a fingernail. The President himself would probably be quoted as responding to this horrific epidemic by saying "Huh?"

Clearly, someone needs to bring the City Attorney the cranial-rectal disengagement device and let them know that Joe-Bob the scanner guy isn't going to cause the next apocalypse by rebroadcasting LAFD audio. This will not only allow folks outside of their monitoring range to enjoy listening to one hell of an agency in action, it will free up their IT folk from having to implement and maintain this official audio that they will someday decide to actually provide.

My 2 cents.

-AZ