The Military and Your Garage Door

Many people think of their garage door openers as luxuries that are taken for granted. Across the country, many people are realizing that this simple luxury is something that can be taken away by the government at any time.

When garage door opener companies began to do research on what frequency to use for the openers, they realized that there were very few frequencies that they could use. These companies contacted the FCC to see what frequencies that they could use.

The military allowed these companies to piggyback on a frequency that was restricted as long as the frequency could be neutralized at any time. The military owned the frequencies, so they would keep control of them.

Two years ago, residents around Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland found that they were unable to use their garage door openers. No explanations were given at the time.

Last fall in Colorado Springs, residents had to buy new garage door openers when they found that their remotes would not work. The military released a statement that the signals had to be compromised to make sure that a government experiment could be carried out for the good of Homeland Security.

At the Marine facility in Quantico, Virginia this test was carried out again in December. Hundreds of nearby residents were forced to purchase new openers for their garage door openers. The military refused to reimburse the residents for their expenses.

Lt. Brian P. Donnelly who is a spokesman for the Quantico base made a statement to the Associated Press. He stated that, "Consumer wireless devices, such as garage door openers, operate on an unlicensed basis, meaning they are required to accept any interference from licensed spectrum users, including the Department of Defense."

This is a question that has been raised by conspiracy theorists for years. It has been believed that the government could disrupt signals that we use on a daily basis for any reason at all.