[AMRadio] FCC Enforcement Advisory

[Rob Atkinson]

The recently discussed enforcement advisory regarding the import of
non-type accepted VHF and UHF handy talkies has elicited a comment
from ARRL to FCC, which are reportedly in discussions with each other
about the EA.  Excerpt below:

“In several places, the Enforcement Advisory makes the point that
‘anyone importing, advertising or selling such noncompliant devices
should stop immediately, and anyone owning such devices should not use
them,’” ARRL pointed out. “The Advisory broadly prohibits the ‘use’ of
such radios, but our view is that there is no such prohibition
relative to licensed Amateur Radio use — entirely within amateur
allocations — of a radio that may be capable of operation in
non-amateur spectrum, as long as it is not actually used to transmit
in non-amateur spectrum.

ARRL has had extensive discussions about this issue with FCC Wireless
Bureau and Enforcement Bureau staff, and those discussions are
ongoing.

“It is important to protect the flexibility of the Amateur Service as
essentially an experimental radio service, but it is also very
important to stop the unlawful importation and marketing of illegal
radios in the United States and the use of those radios by unlicensed
persons,” ARRL maintained. “We will keep our members informed as our
discussions with FCC on this subject continue.”

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-fcc-discussing-issue-of-uncertified-imported-vhf-uhf-transceivers

Apparently the concerns posted here have been shared amongst others
(or else we have more pull with ARRL than I thought) and ARRL is aware
of them.

Rob
K5UJ