NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 2, 2004--The FCC is working on at least two fronts to
eliminate unlicensed operation from the 10-meter band. Earlier this
month, FCC Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth sent warning notices to
two shipping companies regarding reports to the Commission that some of
the companies' vehicles may be the source of illegal radio transmissions
on the amateur band. One of the companies, UPS, has offered its full
cooperation.
"Many truckers use CB radio, which does not require a license,"
Hollingsworth pointed out in letters earlier this month to UPS offices
in Ohio and Indiana and to R&L Transfer Inc of Ohio. "However, any
person using a radio transmitter on the Amateur Radio bands must possess
a station and operator license." Hollingsworth asked the over-the-road
shippers to advise their drivers that such radio operation could subject
them to heavy fines and seizure of their radio equipment.
UPS Attorney Daniel N. Tenfelde last week assured Hollingsworth that his
company was taking its Warning Notice seriously and has launched a full
investigation.
"We discovered that some employees had obtained CB radios that contained
a mechanism allowing them to switch frequencies into the 10-meter
Amateur Radio band," he said in a January 28 letter. "It is not UPS
policy to allow equipment such as this to be used in our vehicles." He
said UPS' contract with the Teamsters Union allows only for CB radios.
Tenfelde said UPS is working with its transportation and labor groups to
let drivers know that such unlicensed operation violates both UPS policy
and FCC regulations.