I respectfully request your support in restoring GMRS repeater linking, which the FCC has recently prohibited.
Shortly before you took office, the FCC stopped GMRS repeaters from being linked, even though this had been allowed for many years. Internet linking gave families a way to talk to each other across cities and states, and during hurricanes it provided vital backup when phones were down.
We contacted Congress but were ignored. I submitted comments directly to the FCC:
- https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10802544719909/1
- https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1042511135974/1
- https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10426037020584/1
We also organized a petition:
The FCC’s response was to post on their GMRS page that repeater linking is “not in the public interest” and might cause interference. But how does a linked repeater cause more interference than one that is not linked? No interference study has ever been done, and GMRS users have already shown that linking works safely and effectively.
Unlike amateur (ham) radio, GMRS allows an entire family to use the system under one license. There is no good reason GMRS users should be blocked from linking repeaters, especially when this restriction undermines family communication and disaster response.
I ask for your help in reversing this political decision and ending the FCC’s unfair bias against GMRS users.
Respectfully,