The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed a monetary penalty against one of the largest providers of computers and computer-related products for marketing devices that operated outside of their FCC-authorized power limits.
According to a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, Taiwan-based ASUSTek Computer faces a fine of $367,436 for modifying one of its WiFi adapter models and a separate WiFi router model that had been previously authorized by the Commission. In both cases, the company reportedly modified the devices after receiving FCC approval so that they could operate above the power limits defined in their respective authorizations. In the case of the WiFi router model, testing by an independent certified test laboratory showed that the units were operating at nearly eight times their authorized output power level.
This is not the first time that ASUSTek has been charged with marketing devices that exceeded their authorized power limits. In 2014, the company entered into a consent decree with the Commission’s Enforcement Bureau to resolve an FCC investigation into similar violations. Under the terms of that consent decree, ASUSTek agreed to adopt a 38-month compliance plan to ensure future compliance with FCC rules and to report any non-compliance issues to the Commission within five calendar days of discovering them.
Read the FCC’s Notice of Apparent Liability in connection with ASUSTek Computer.
