Enforcement Action Overview
On January 31, 2007, the Federal Communications Commission's Spectrum Enforcement Division of the Enforcement Bureau issued an official citation (DA 07-309) to Global Trade Group, Inc. located in Rogue River, Oregon. The citation was issued pursuant to Section 503(b)(5) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, for marketing police radar jamming equipment in the United States in violation of federal statutory and regulatory requirements.
The enforcement action specifically targets the marketing of two devices manufactured by Rocky Mountain Radar (RMR): the RMR-S201 (also known as the Phazer II) and the RMR-C450. The Commission cited violations of Section 302(b) of the Communications Act, as well as Sections 2.803, 15.205, and 15.209 of the Commission's Rules.
Investigation Background and Findings
The Spectrum Enforcement Division initiated an inquiry following informal complaints alleging that multiple entities were marketing police radar jammers. Commission staff inspected Global Trade Group, Inc.'s website (www.ceipro.com) on June 8 and June 10, 2005, observing listings for the RMR-S201 and RMR-C450 devices.
The Division issued a Letter of Inquiry on September 1, 2005. In its September 15, 2005 response, Global Trade Group acknowledged marketing the models, claimed it had decided to remove them due to poor sales, and relayed RMR's assertion that the units were not intentional radiators and had received FCC testing and certification. However, subsequent staff inspection of the website on January 23, 2007, showed that Global Trade Group continued to market both models.
Technical Evaluation and Regulatory Violations
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) Laboratory evaluated samples of both models obtained directly from RMR, resulting in several key technical findings:
Because the devices are designed to cause interference to licensed police radar services in violation of Section 333 of the Act, they cannot legally operate and are ineligible for equipment certification under Part 15 rules. Concurrently with the citation to Global Trade Group, the Division issued a Notice of Apparent Liability proposing a $25,000 forfeiture against manufacturer Rocky Mountain Radar (DA 07-299).
- Intentional Radiator Classification: Testing showed that both the RMR-S201 and RMR-C450 emit signals intended to interfere with licensed police radar and are capable of causing such interference, classifying them as intentional radiators under Section 15.3(o).
- Restricted Band Emissions: The RMR-C450 generated radiated emissions at 11.23 GHz, a restricted frequency band under Section 15.205, substantially exceeding the radiated emission limits defined in Section 15.209.
- Improper Equipment Authorization: RMR obtained certification for the RMR-C450 under FCC ID QKK-C03 by representing the unit to a Telecommunications Certification Body as an unintentional radiator radar detector, despite marketing it as a radar scrambler.
Potential Penalties and Response Options
The FCC advised Global Trade Group, Inc. that any future marketing of these or similar unauthorized intentional radiating jamming devices may result in monetary forfeitures of up to $11,000 per violation or per day of a continuing violation under 47 C.F.R. ยง 1.80(b)(3).
The company was granted 30 days from January 31, 2007, to respond either in writing to the Spectrum Enforcement Division or by scheduling a personal interview at the FCC's Portland Resident Agent Office in Vancouver, Washington. Any response must outline the specific steps the company is taking to ensure compliance with FCC marketing rules.