On July 6, 2012, the White House released an Executive Order that addresses National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) communications functions of the federal government. Contrary to some concerns raised in a few Amateur Radio circles, the Order does not appear to contain any threat to the Amateur Service or its ability to continue support communications during times of emergency or disaster. It also poses no threat to amateur spectrum.

“The purpose of the new entity, which would be created by this Order within the Executive Branch, appears to be to plan for future NS/EP communications and to insure survivability, hardness and interoperability, as well as to develop a long-term strategic plan for NS/EP communications,” said ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND. “Based on the Amateur Service’s ongoing, positive working relationship with officials at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications, it is hard to envision that any new management plan would not include Amateur Radio. Nothing in this Order directly affects Amateur Radio’s daily operations.”

A good summary of the content of the Order can be found here.