Bad Idea Ignoring the Enforcement Bureau
CB owner Tommie Salter of Jacksonville, Florida is becoming well known at the FCC, for the wrong reasons. Following interference complaints, the bureau sought to inspect Mr. Salter’s CB radio station equipment. Mr. Salter denied the request even after repeatedly being warned that refusal of inspection was illegal. This recent denial was nearly identical to an incident involving the same Mr. Salter in 2004, when interference complaints brought Commission agents to Mr. Salter’s door for an inspection. In this recent incident, Mr. Salter was issued a base fine of $7,000 for failure to permit inspection, and an upward adjustment of $7,000 on statutory factors including operating his CB station with a non-certified transmitter during restricted hours. The Commission notes that “Misconduct of this type is serious, exhibits contempt for the Commission’s authority, and threatens to compromise the Commission’s ability to fully investigate violations of its rules.” Notice of Apparent Liability & Forfeiture
Category: Enforcement Corner$5.25 Million Large Ones
The Canadian National Railway Company has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $5.25 million to resolve an FCC Enforcement Bureau investigation into the company’s acquisition and operation of hundreds of wireless radio facilities in the United States without prior FCC approval. Some of the unauthorized operations continued for more than two decades before the company disclosed its violations to the Commission. The company’s 2012 internal audit of its FCC authorizations uncovered unauthorized transactions dating back to 1995, and it also revealed that Canadian National and its predecessors had constructed, relocated, modified, or operated several hundred wireless facilities without FCC approval as far back as 1990. “Today’s action sends a clear and strong message to the railroad industry, all well as other industries that rely on wireless technology, that they will face very serious consequences when they fail to comply with the Commission’s Rules,: said Travis LeBlanc, Chief of the Enforcement Bureau. FCC Order
EWA Expands Senior Management Staff
Sarah Stewart Beerbower joins Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) in the newly created position of Director, Sales and Service. In this position, she will be responsible for the direction and management of all Alliance sales objectives directed towards membership recruitment and retention as well as products and services to members and non-members. Sarah has many years of experience in association management for noted industrial organizations and has directed communications strategies for non-profits and political campaigns at both the state and national level. Most recently, Sarah was the Senior Director, Development and Sales for the Direct Marketing Association and served as a senior executive with the National Association of Chemical Distributors. She was a Director with responsibility for communications and fundraising for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and prior to that, was in a management role at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and directed communications for two political campaigns. “We are delighted to welcome someone of Sarah’s national caliber and depth of experience to EWA,” said Mark E. Crosby, President and CEO. “Her proven skills and understanding of member and service development and her experience spearheading complicated sales and communications campaigns will be invaluable to us as we expand our services and introduce new products.”
Category: EWA On Your Side3.65 GHz Record Complete
The record is complete on the FCC’s proposal to adopt a five-year period for grandfathering into the new Citizens Broadband Radio Service at 3550-3650 MHz, the adjacent 3650-3700 MHz band that is used extensively by CII and other Part 90 licensees. EWA, API, UTC, Southern and Sprint all have objected to the FCC’s proposal, both with regard to the abbreviated grandfathering period and to the very complicated and untested post-grandfathered licensing approach under which they would operate. The timing of FCC action in this proceeding is unknown, but because it creates the possibility of additional broadband spectrum for consumer use, it presumably will receive high level attention at the FCC.
Category: In the newsEWA Unveiling Cevo® at the Wireless Leadership Summit
The Coordination Evolution began this past spring with the Cevo® mobile app which generated tremendous excitement as the first app to enable anytime, anywhere frequency searches. The Wireless Leadership Summit is where the next phase of Cevo will be unveiled. No matter what platform, no matter how complex your frequency search or question, get immediate and accurate results with the reliability of EWA using the full version of Cevo. Conduct spectrum research, analyze channel possibilities, seek exclusive channels, review frequency coordination results, submit applications, and verify status of business/industrial and public safety land mobile radio frequency applications to the FCC. Cevo puts the full power of EWA in your hands, on any platform – mobile, smartphone, desktop. We will be doing demonstrations during the Summit. Join the Coordination Evolution!
Category: EWA On Your SideBring Your Questions to the Licensing Pros
EWA will be holding its Licensing and Spectrum Essentials Workshop on Friday, October 10, from 8am-11:00am, at the Westin Downtown Denver during the 2014 Wireless Leadership Summit. This highly interactive and popular workshop, which has been presented across the U.S., is free to registered Summit participants but space is limited. Register for the Summit and the Workshop at this link. EWA spectrum experts will address:
- What you need to know to obtain and manage your two-way radio call sign from the FCC.
- The most common errors made on license applications
- Which FCC rules are most critical for analog or digital systems
- Which spectrum is optimum for certain uses
- Interference mitigation
- Post-narrowbanding
- Securing FB8 exclusive channels
- Licensing digital radios
- Using EWA on-line frequency coordination tools and more.
The workshop is appropriate for new employees and those with frequency coordination, licensing and spectrum management knowledge. Bring your questions for the pros and learn how to effectively navigate the spectrum landscape.
Category: EWA On Your Side