FCC Says It‘s Cracking Down On Emergency Frequency Use

While the FCC is unlikely to start putting pilots in jail for misuse of the common emergency frequency, 121.5, the commission's message is crystal clear: dialing up 121.5 is for real emergencies and pilots need to respect that fact.

The commission has a point. There are plenty of frequencies for pilots to use for communications in the air, including the designated air-to-air frequency 122.75 MHz and common traffic advisory frequencies (CTAFs). However, that doesn't seem to be enough to keep the 121.5MHz emergency frequency clear. The Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently issued an Enforcement Advisory directed at the civil aviation community.

The advisory states that the FCC, working with the FAA, has been investigating harmful interference with and misuse of the 121.5 MHz emergency frequency. The FCC lists reason for the investigation as an FAA-reported increase in use of 121.5 MHz for non-emergency communications. As per 47 CFR 87.1, that's illegal. It also interferes with the FAA's ability to monitor the frequency for actual emergency communications which, as should be obvious, could put lives at risk.

Penalties for interfering with 121.5 emergency communications aren't a joke either. They include fines (up to $19,246 for a single violation and up to $144,344 for an ongoing violation), seizure of radio equipment, and possible criminal sanctions. While the commission didn't share its plans for how it intends to enforce the matter, it is sending a clear signal that pilots need to stay off of 121.5 unless there's a valid reason to press the push-to-talk.

Read the FCC Advisory.