[Milsurplus] More FCC foolishness

[David Stinson]

The few people who are nailed are caught for
obvious and stupid reasons:  they prank from home,
or from some other fixed location, and target people
who make a lot of noise about it, like hams.
Or make themselves a target 
with politically-incorrect speech.  
"Uncle Charlie" gets them on video, mike to mouth 
or walks up to the house with the recording 
service monitors rolling.
But this only happens in "special" cases 
that grab money or make "brownie points" 
for the agency minions, or in the case of 
a few hundred howling hams (and that only to 
quite them so the minions can go back to their 
endless coffee and donut "Rif and Re-Org" meetings).

The FCC may have the capabilities, but they deploy
them only when there is money to be grabbed 
or political points to be made with the bosses.
Proof:  
Remember "Yosemite Sam" QRMing WWV back in 2004-05?
It went on and on for months until some hams 
found it themselves with "stone knives and bear skins."
The FCC never acted, even after 
having their noses rubbed in it.
No money to be grabbed, so no action.

Clowns on 27 MC run tens of thousands of watts ERP,
and are in fixed, repeatedly reported locations.
But while these guys spent tons on their radios,
they live with "Mama" in a trailer park
on Social Security Disablity.  
No money to grab, so no action.

The "other side":  
Certain "nets" on 75 meters were critical 
of Federal officials and actions, 
and said "politically incorrect" things.
The net stations were harrassed by the FCC 
off and on until they were cowed off the air.  
Reason?  Political points with the bosses.

Remember the trucking companies
who got their drivers busted for operating on 
10-meters?  The Feds would sit at the truck stops
and cruise the interstates, catching them red-handed.
No "microsecond DF magic" needed.
Why?  Trucking companies have money to grab.

About the same as any Federal agency....
And when you stop and think about it:
what else can they do?  It costs money and
time and assets and budgets and all that 
to go nail someone.  What do you say to the
congressman who askes you why you spent 
$167,324.96 to catch "Popeye" shooting skip 
on 27.890 mHz and fine him $10,000 that
he can't even pay??