The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has upheld a $22,000 fine against the owner of a Texas warehouse for operating a cellular phone jamming system in violation of FCC rules.
According to a Forfeiture Order issued by the Commission in late April, the action by the Commission upholds a Notice of Liability against Ravi’s Import Warehouse in Dallas, TX in connection with an investigation of the company’s facility in April 2017. The investigation, conducted by an agent from the Enforcement Bureau’s Dallas Field Office, was prompted by a complaint of interference characteristic of a signal jammer emanating from the facility. During an inspection of the facility, the warehouse owner admitted that the company had been using a signal jammer to deter employees from making cellphone calls during working hours, but that the device had been disposed of shortly before the agent’s arrival.
The company appealed the fine proposed in the Notice of Liability, acknowledging the use of the jamming device but arguing that the agent did not ask for the owner to provide the device. Further the company argued that the Enforcement Bureau incorrectly interpreted its regulation when calculating its proposed fine. However, upon review, the Commission upheld the fine as originally proposed, formalizing that decision in its Forfeiture Order.
