The FCC Wireless Bureau offered guidance in a Thursday public...

by Jan. 1 of this year, and the bureau warned those who failed to comply: “Licensees who operate in violation of the Commission’s rules or the terms of the licensee’s license, or who cause harmful interference to another licensee, may be subject to appropriate enforcement action. Such enforcement action may include admonishments, license revocation, and/or monetary forfeitures of up to $16,000 for each such violation or each day of a continuing violation, and up to $112,500 for any single act or failure to act.” It alerted people on the best ways to complain to the FCC if they know of any narrowbanding violations. There’s a new narrowbanding licensing tool as part of the Universal Licensing System, the bureau added, describing how to file narrowbanding modification applications now. It also discussed how entities that have received narrowbanding deadline waivers should handle issues related to the wideband-capable equipment they may still need. The bureau outlined the need for licensees to remove wideband emission designators eventually. “A licensee requesting a post-deadline waiver should not assume that the waiver request will be granted, and grant of a waiver request does not insulate a licensee from possible enforcement action for the period of unauthorized wideband operation after January 1, 2013,” the bureau said. “However, the Enforcement Bureau may consider the length of unauthorized operation when evaluating the severity of the violation of the Commission’s rules as well as the appropriate sanction.”