Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has "demanded" that the FCC grant special waivers to New York Jewish community centers (JCCs) that were the targets of terror threats to trace the threatening calls. The chairman signaled he would look into what he could do, and do what he could, condemning the threats in no uncertain terms.
In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Wednesday (March 1), Schumer pointed out that last year, when a New York school district was also the subject of terror threats, then FCC chairman Tom Wheeler worked with them to grant a special waiver to allow the district and law enforcement to access caller info.
He wants Pai to do the same.
"Given the recent uptick in these swatting incidents, I believe the current circumstances requires that your agency pursues similar extensive investigatory measures," he said in the letter. "In doing so, I urge you to coordinate your federal resources with local law enforcement across the nation to ensure they have the resources needed to thwart these attacks. In that vein, I respectfully inquire that you provide me and my staff with more information about the steps your agency will take to fulfill this request. Specifically, I ask:
1."What actions has your agency taken to date in response to these bomb threats?
2. Will you consider allowing JCCs to trace this call information, as the FCC did for the Middletown school district, in order to allow these calls to be properly investigated?
3. "What resources can your agency provide to local law enforcement to ensure they are equipped to thwart these attacks?
“Chairman Pai is very concerned about the bomb threats being made to Jewish Community Centers across our country," said a spokesman for the chairman. "These threats have instilled fear and disrupted lives throughout the United States, and Chairman Pai condemns such anti-Semitic acts in the strongest possible terms. The FCC is actively exploring what steps the FCC can take quickly to help Jewish Community Centers and law enforcement combat these threats.”
