NTIA Comments on Use of the Automatic Identification System

NTIA, on behalf of the Executive Branch, hereby comments in response to the Commission’s recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the above-referenced proceeding. As discussed in more detail in the attached letter from the U.S. Coast Guard to NTIA, maritime safety requires that the use of radio devices produced for the Automatic Identification System be limited to their intended use – which does not currently include marking fishing equipment. At present, based on the existing international standards, when these devices are used they appear as ships rather than fishing equipment, which can cause dangerous confusion.