Fw: ARLB003 FCC warns alleged major amateur offenders (fwd)

[Frank Gentges]

Here is more on FCC enforcement
Frank

>>>ARLB003 FCC warns alleged major amateur offenders
>>>
>>>The FCC has issued strong warnings to two amateurs in Indiana and a
>>>third in New York who are on the Commission's top ten list of
>>>alleged major amateur offenders. The FCC's amateur enforcement point
>>>man, Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, says the warning letters sent
>>>earlier this month are the last step before the FCC initiates formal
>>>enforcement proceedings. One case primarily involved malicious
>>>interference on VHF repeaters, while the other two involved
>>>interference to an HF net.
>>>
>>>''We have been cutting bait a while, now it's time for us to fish,''
>>>said Hollingsworth, the legal advisor for enforcement within the
>>>FCC's Compliance and Information Bureau.
>>>
>>>The FCC did not make the names or call signs public, but
>>>Hollingsworth said all those who received the letters were put on
>>>the FCC's Alert List with FCC field offices. ''The Alert List is the
>>>FCC equivalent of an all-points bulletin,'' Hollingsworth explained.
>>>He said Field Office monitors would be making a special effort to
>>>listen for further violations by stations on the Alert List.
>>>
>>>Since taking over Amateur Radio enforcement within the CIB last
>>>fall, Hollingsworth says he's sent out dozens of warning letters of
>>>a much milder nature. ''Now, we're distilling that activity to the
>>>worst offenders,'' he said, adding that  similar actions were
>>>imminent in other major cases.
>>>
>>>The letters sent out January 7 and 8 spell out the agency's
>>>expectations in no uncertain terms. In the case of the alleged HF
>>>offenders, Hollingsworth's letters state that the Commission ''has
>>>additional evidence that you have been deliberately and maliciously
>>>interfering with the operations of other licensed amateurs,''
>>>primarily a 75-meter net. Both hams--whose cases are
>>>related--already had received official Notices of Violation last
>>>fall for similar conduct, and the FCC had imposed restricted
>>>operating hours on one of them. But the FCC says that the
>>>troublesome behavior has continued.
>>>
>>>Hollingsworth said the alleged illegal activities not only put the
>>>hams' licenses in jeopardy but open them up to possible fines and
>>>even put transmitting equipment at risk of seizure. He said he also
>>>has cautioned the controllers of the net involved to not engage
>>>hecklers or those attempting to harass or interfere, nor to call up
>>>the net on a busy frequency. ''One thing these nets have to
>>>understand is that the nets don't own the frequency,'' he said.
>>>
>>>The case of the alleged VHF offender had a similar pattern. The
>>>amateur license of the ham in question already had been suspended at
>>>one point, but violations are said to have continued, even during
>>>the suspension period. Beyond amateur violations, Hollingsworth said
>>>that the FCC's evidence indicated the amateur had threatened FCC
>>>employees and others. He told the ARRL that additional warning
>>>letters went out to eight other individuals whom he described as
>>>''cohorts'' to the alleged prime VHF offender.
>>>
>>>Hollingsworth requested that all of the amateurs involved contact
>>>him immediately to discuss the allegations.
>>>NNNN
>>>/EX