Local officials in York County met Wednesday with representatives of the Federal Communications Commission to discuss the latest instance of radio jamming that occurred as rescuers responded to a multi-vehicle accident Sunday in Lebanon.
Two state representatives said they were growing more concerned about the recurring problem.
It wasn’t clear whether or not Wednesday’s meeting brought the situation any closer to resolution. Neither FCC officials nor Lebanon rescue personnel returned calls for comment.
In an email sent late Tuesday, Lebanon’s assistant rescue chief, Jason Cole, said he has been in contact with the FCC every day since Sunday’s accident, which involved four vehicles and injured 11 people. The radio jamming caused ambulance delays, Cole said, which could have been catastrophic had any of the injuries been more serious.
Wednesday’s meeting involved FCC personnel from the Boston office, local law enforcement, staff from the Sanford Regional Communications Center and others, according to Cole, who said it was a chance for officials to review audiotapes and other information received since Sunday.
Lebanon has been dealing with radio jamming — the deliberate interference of emergency radio signals — off and on since 2004. After a series of problems earlier this year, Cole filed a complaint with the FCC. The federal agency launched an investigation, but the jamming stopped in late April and the person responsible was not found.
When the problem resurfaced Sunday, a dispatcher broadcast a message that the FCC was tracing any interference and the jamming stopped immediately.
Rep. Beth O’Connor, who lives in Berwick but represents the district that includes Lebanon, said she hopes local authorities devote the resources necessary to catch whoever is responsible.
“It scares the crap out of me that someone is doing this,” she said. “I don’t want to wait until something really bad happens before we do something.”
Rep. Joan Nass, R-Acton, whose district also includes part of Lebanon, said she was concerned as well.
“It’s hard to believe that there is someone out there doing this,” she said.
An FCC spokesman said Tuesday that unless officials catch the jammer in the act, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where the problem is coming from.
Sometimes, accidental interference occurs when two parties are using the same communications band unknowingly. Intentional radio jamming is rare but relatively easy to do. There are no limitations or restrictions on who can buy certain equipment, and anyone with general knowledge of how the radios work can program them to public safety agency channels and send out strong enough signals to override them.
The penalty for radio jamming is a fine of up to $112,500 or, in some cases, prison.
Staff Writer Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:
erussell@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @PPHEricRussell
Send questions/comments to the editors.
