The FCC issued 20 enforcement actions against online retailers in...

authorized radio communications. The FCC directed each online retailer to immediately cease marketing signal jamming devices to consumers. That includes removing the illegal signal jamming devices from online display, expressly excluding consumers in the U.S. as potential customers, and declining to sell signal jamming devices or complete any sales transaction to consumers in the U.S. In a request for information, the FCC also ordered the online retailers to provide information about their signal jammer suppliers, distribution channels and sales, including the manufacturer of each illegal signal jamming device, the websites that the online retailer has used to market the devices, and the corrective actions the online retailer has taken or will take to comply with federal law prohibiting the marketing and sale of jamming devices. Because these enforcement actions were taken against retailers who are not otherwise regulated by the commission, the Communications Act requires the commission to first issue a “citation” describing the violation and warning against future misconduct. The agency emphasized that a second violation could lead to penalties of $16,000 to $112,500. It also noted that a separate penalty could be imposed for each jamming device sold or each day on which a jamming device is marketed, and that additional violations could result in the seizure of equipment and imprisonment.