ACMA wants your say on VHF radio use

Responding to concerns about declining standards in the use of marine radio and compliance with the requirement to hold an operators’ certificate of proficiency, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released a discussion paper about regulatory arrangements for VHF marine radios used by recreational boat operators.

The discussion paper invites comment from marine radio users about safety and the use of VHF radio by recreational boaters and follows concerns expressed by the National Marine Safety Committee and representatives of the maritime community.

“Correct radio use is fundamental to the safety of the maritime community,” said Chris Chapman, chairman of the ACMA. “Our discussion paper outlines a range of ideas aimed at achieving more appropriate VHF radio use amongst recreational boaters and we want the boaties to give us their vital feedback.”
 
ACMA says it is encouraging those with an interest in this issue to contribute to this review, including all relevant government and non-government bodies at the state and territory level, and recreational boat operators.

Since 2002, ACMA has delegated the responsibility of managing the examination and certification scheme for marine radio use to the Australian Maritime College under a Deed of Agreement. The expiry of this Deed in 2012 is a key reason for the timing of this review.

According to ACMA, the purpose of the review is to examine alternative arrangements for marine radio operator qualifications with a view to identifying the most appropriate and cost effective ways to address the needs of the sector. The review canvasses reforms to the regulation and administration of marine radio operator qualifications to simplify the process of obtaining marine radio operator qualifications and ensure the appropriateness of those qualifications.

ACMA said it has received complaints about the standard of procedures used by operators of VHF marine radios and, particularly, that this is impacting on access to channel 16 for emergency situations.

In addition, it said some operators who get into difficulties are not using the internationally accepted procedures that were developed to ensure that calls for assistance convey essential information for a rapid response.

Channel 16 is designated, internationally, as the emergency and calling channel for ships and small craft. A vessel’s crew may use channel 16 to call other vessels and coast stations, but once communication has been established, the operators must change to a working channel to continue the conversation. This ensures channel 16 remains available for emergency situations and other calls.

Currently, the two grades of qualification are the Marine Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency (MROCP) or the simpler Marine Radio Operators VHF Certificate of Proficiency (MROVCP).

ACMA is interested in receiving comment on issues such as:

-- The mandatory nature of Certificates of Proficiency for operators of VHF marine radio; and, 
-- The possibility of marine radio use for safety purposes being addressed by other agencies involved in recreational boating regulation.

The discussion paper, VHF Marine Radio Operator Qualification Arrangements – Non-Commercial (Recreational) Vessels, is available on the ACMA website.
 
Submissions should be sent to email: mrowp@acma.gov.au by December 18, 2009.