Description
Part of the impetus for the act's passage was the sinking of the RMS Titanic, which had sent out a distress call that was received by the RMS Carpathia. Although Carpathia came to the assistance of the Titanic at the greatest speed possible, it arrived too late to save the majority of the passengers and crew. It was later revealed that another ship, the SS Californian, was closer to the Titanic than the Carpathia, but it did not receive the distress call because its sole wireless operator was not on duty. Thus, one aspect of the Act was to mandate that vessels had the continuing capability to receive messages on two wavelengths: 300 meters and 600 meters (500 kHz). This meant that vessels would need to have an operator on duty at all times.
Another factor was an ongoing conflict between amateur radio operators and the U.S. Navy and private corporations, that included amateurs forging naval messages and issuing fake distress calls. The Wireless Ship Act of 1910 was seen as too weak to address the problems. The U.S. Congress considered six different proposals for replacing it in the period between 1910 and 1912, eventually enacting the 1912 Act.
To combat the issue with amateur radio operators, the Act provided for a system of licensing all radio stations in the United States, including amateur radio operators. Furthermore, it prohibited those amateurs from transmitting over the main commercial and military wavelengths. Amateurs were limited to transmitting signals that were below a wavelength of 200 meters (1.5 MHz). In addition to being limited by wavelength, amateurs were also limited to location and operating hours.
Read more about this topic: Radio Act Of 1912
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