Ham Radio Included in Updated National Emergency
Communications Plan
The latest update to the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security's National Emergency Communications Plan, or NECP, specifically
includes amateur radio as a resource for supporting or sustaining
communications in an emergency or disaster. According to the ARRL Letter, the
new plan says amateur radio operators "can be important conduits for
relaying information to response agencies and personnel when other forms of
communications have failed or have been disrupted." It also urged the
inclusion of amateur radio representatives on statewide interoperability
planning or steering committees. The 2014 update is the first since the plan
was originally rolled out in 2008.