FCC Warns of Increase in Illegally Imported Two-Way Radios by 'Conventional Retailers'
The Federal Communications Commission has noted an uptick in illegal imports of two-way radios that don’t comply with FCC rules, it said in an enforcement bulletin issued Sept. 24. A “growing number of conventional retailers and websites” are advertising and selling low-cost unauthorized two-way radios, many of which have been imported from abroad. “These radios must be authorized by the FCC prior to being imported, advertised, sold, or operated in the United States,” the agency said.
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Many of the radios violate FCC restrictions related to transmission frequency and wideband operations, making them illegal and unable to be authorized by the FCC, the bulletin said. These radios “have the potential to negatively affect public safety, aviation, and other operations by Federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private use,” it said. “Anyone importing … such noncompliant devices should stop immediately,” the FCC said.
Electronic devices that intentionally emit radio waves must be certified by the FCC or a third-party certification body. Equipment that doesn’t comply with FCC technical requirements cannot be certified and thus cannot be imported, advertised or used, the FCC said. Many two-way radios that “purport to operate on amateur frequencies also operate on frequencies that extend beyond designated amateur frequency bands,” and therefore cannot be imported, the advisory said.
Violators of the FCC’s marketing rules may be subject to fines of up to $19,639 per day of violations and up to $147,290 for an ongoing violation, the FCC said. ”When manufacturing, importing, advertising or selling two-way radios and accessories that either are electronic or have electronic components, manufacturers, importers and marketers should ensure that such devices or components are properly certified and labeled as FCC-compliant and cannot be easily modified to operate outside its grant of certification,” it said.