In two unrelated actions, the FCC is proposing a fine of
nearly $3 million for a drone manufacturer it says is using unauthorized
audio/video transmitters in its devices, and agreed to a $7,000 payment from a Pennsylvania ham to
settle a 4-year-old enforcement action for interference on 14.313 MHz.
The FCC alleges that HobbyKing, which manufactures
radio-control craft and associated products, marketed uncertified radio
transmitters, sometimes sold as amateur radio equipment, and proposed assessing
a fine of $2.8 million.
The action stems from a complaint filed by the ARRL in
early 2017, according to the ARRL Letter.
The League told the FCC that the devices – which it tested in its lab –
operated on frequencies "intended for navigational aids, air traffic
control radar, air route surveillance radars, and global positioning systems,
not Amateur Radio frequencies, as the marketer had purported." Because of
this, the League complaint added, these devices "represent a real and
dangerous threat to the safety of flight." The FCC's Notice of Apparent
Liability said the Commission had previously warned the company to stop selling
noncompliant equipment and said HobbyKing also had failed to fully respond to a
previous letter of inquiry. The FCC also warned consumers who own these devices
to "cease using them immediately or risk enforcement action."
In Pittsburgh,
the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania reported
that Brian Crow, K3VR, had agreed to pay the FCC $7,000 to settle a previously
assessed fine of $11,500 for allegedly causing interference to other amateurs.
Crow was one of two amateurs cited in 2014 for intentional interference with
communications on 14.313 MHz and for failure to identify his transmissions. The
news release from U.S. At
