Air traffic radio listening & rebroadcast.....

[Hamish McTorsk]

From Airliners.net

The new UK government has launched a web site called Your Freedom to invite proposals of old UK laws which should be repealed. It may come as a surprise to some enthusiasts but it is against the law to discuss, rebroadcast or even listen to ATC communication within the UK. Amazingly, it is not illegal to own an airband radio, but you can't actually listen to anything on it ! This was passed as law under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949, and clearly needs to be repealed.

Apart from the obvious lack of harm and security issues associated with airband listening, it provides vital training for pilots, and many other beneficial purposes. With huge numbers of countries' ATC now listenable via the Web, the UK remains one of the few countries (maybe the only country) where law forbids it. This needs to change. I know enthusiasts around the world who listen to ATC online are frustrated by the inability to listen to UK airport, radar and sector communication, and this is the first OFFICIAL chance to have your say and get the law repealed.

Please visit the link below, RATE IT and if you have supportive COMMENTS, please post them in the box at the bottom of that page. The more ratings and comments, the more likely it will be to get selected and, hopefully, effected. Past petitions have failed, but now the UK government itself wants to know about these archaic laws, and this is DEFINITELY one of them.

For the future of global ATC broadcast streaming to include the UK, and for us Brits to be able to use our scanners without breaking the law (!), please support the proposal I have created at the link below.

Many Thanks,
Paul

http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/repealing-unnecessary-laws/air-traffic-radio-listening-rebroadcast

[jamie]

Seems like a good idea,but i can't help but wonder why it was made illegal in the first place.I could probably see some justification for keeping military transmissions quiet but with the current situation over in the sandpit and the embedded journalists over there with them,it really does seem trivial to silence the airwaves back at home,when there is little more than training going on anyway.Besides that,the military R T is little more than a garbled split second message anyway.Ah well,we'll have to wait and see.

[sterigia]

it's the same in italy. you can buy and own any reciever, no cell band block, etc but you can only listen to commercial broadcasts, the law dates back to the 1930's and has never beeen changed, but occasionally someone who is stupid enough to bring his scanner into sight will surely get it seized and pulled in for questioning, specially near airports. the same goes for fotos, it is illegal to take a pic of any military or police or airport installation, even in the background.
addendum: if you have an swl license like me you can listen also to hams only  and any info listened to by mere chance when tuning your radio cannot be divulged. you are sworn to secrecy when you ask for your swl license. background check included.
ciao
frank

[junglejet]

Same law in Germany, you may possess a device, it is unclear if you may listen or not, but when you hear something you may not pass it on to somebody else because it may endanger personal privacy rights of the spoken word. Therefore ATC rebroadcasting is clearly not permissable.

This law has been reworded just a few years ago after the former was from 1938. There are no known cases of seizure of ATC scanners, but a few cases where police scanners (what's the difference) have been seized from journalists in the street but courts had them released a few weeks later.

Also, there is a court decision from 2008, though, that this does not apply to data reception (as from Mode-S receivers) as you cannot "hear" the data literally and therefore cannot "listen" to them. Wimo had been ordered to stop selling the SBS-1 and they had appealed and won. Consequently I would believe that rebroadcasting Mode-S data is not unlawful as no personal privacy rights are in danger.

When proposing to remove the restricting law I would consider that there are numerous groups of interest that want to see it tightend. Public safety is in danger like here http://www.airsport-corp.com/adsb2.htm

[Hamish McTorsk]

Same in Denmark, you MAY listen to ALL broadcasts but may NOT pass any info on.........

[Turbo]

I guess that we are lucky in australia we can listen to anything take receivers and camers next to the airport without being looked at by australian federal police.

Regards Lino.

[Anmer]

I suppose there's not much else to do out there