Reading Room Document

The Authority of the Federal Communications Commission to Render Certain Assistance to State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies

The document discusses the authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to assist state and local law enforcement agencies by divulging information obtained from monitoring radio communications, specifically Citizen Band (CB) radio broadcasts. The conclusion reached is that FCC personnel may divulge the contents of CB radio communications if violations of state or local law are uncovered, provided that the monitoring was originally intended to detect violations of the Federal Communications Act. The document also presents questions regarding the interpretation of 47 U.S.C. §605 and 18 U.S.C. §2511, as well as the authority of state and local police officers to make arrests for observed violations of the Communications Act at the request of the FCC.

July 17, 1974