GMRS Repeater Linking

[StrangeWill]

So I figured I'd drag some of the discussion I was having over in a Discord channel of local Hams (and my opinion), little bit of primer here:

Understanding the Controversy Surrounding GMRS Repeater Linking

In recent discussions within the GMRS community, a hot topic has emerged: linking GMRS repeaters over the Internet. The idea has sparked both interest and concern among enthusiasts. To shed some light on this issue, let's explore the implications and the regulatory stance on GMRS repeater...

talkpodonline.com

The FCC updated their website to make this crystal clear lately:

A GMRS user can expect a communications range of one to twenty-five miles depending on station class, terrain, and repeater use. GMRS stations cannot be interconnected with the public switched telephone network or any other network for the purpose of carrying GMRS communications, but these networks can be used for remote control of repeater stations. In other words, repeaters may not be linked via the internet—an example of an “other network” in the rules—to extend the range of the communications across a large geographic area. Linking multiple repeaters to enable a repeater outside the communications range of the handheld or mobile device to retransmit messages violates sections 95.1733(a)(8) and 95.1749 of the Commission’s rules, and potentially other rules in 47 C.F.R. Repeaters may be connected to the telephone network or other networks only for purposes of remote control of a GMRS station, not for carrying communication signals.

If anything probably like 90% of my opinion on this has been "I struggle to read part 95 in any other way and can't believe the FCC had to clarify this", and feel this is also pretty similar to the part 90/95 discussion (a lot of GMRS users say they can use part 90 radios that aren't part 95 certified, the FCC has allegedly confirmed that there is no implicit part 90 inclusion).

As far as outside of the "letter of the law" stance, the only real annoyance I find is the 8 repeater pairs can make for crowded use when 4-5 of those pairs are the same network. I hear it can be even worse in some places, but I think a middle ground could possibly be struck or something.

I'm curious on if the FCC is actually going to crack down on enforcement though, a few different networks ended up shutting down (mygmrs, Midwest GMRS network), others have not yet (North Georgia GMRS, IIRC there's at least one other).

There's a petition up: www.change.org/gmrs-network requesting the FCC reconsider its position.