The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) has commended the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for maintaining today's deadline for compliance which prohibits the manufacture and import, from this day forward, of non-compliant radar detectors in the US
Although the Commission did briefly extend the deadline for selling and marketing non-compliant radar detectors, we are pleased that it did so for only thirty days—until October 27, 2002.
The radar detector industry and RadioShack have recently attempted a series of collateral attacks on the Commission's July 2002 Report and Order regulating the emissions of radar detectors, in an effort to avoid complying with the Commission's decision.
"Today, the Commission has rebuffed those collateral attacks and reaffirmed its commitment to protect its licensees from harmful interference caused by unlicensed devices," said Richard Dalbello, President of the Satellite Industry Association.
DalBello further stated; "By adopting its July 2002 Report & Order, the FCC struck a careful balance between the satellite and radar detector industries.
The Commission granted the radar detector industry the narrow frequency band and higher permissible power limits that it requested, and granted the satellite industry a compliance schedule critical to precluding more non-compliant radar detector units from being placed on the market."
In today's decision, the Commission has:
Maintained its prior decision that the manufacture and import of non-compliant radar detectors must stop immediately as of today
Summarily denied requests to continue the sale of non-compliant radar detectors through the upcoming holiday season, and beyond
Emphasized that it has never before been presented with interference into an authorized service of the magnitude found here.
Reiterated the severity of the interference caused by non-compliant radar detectors, and the substantial harm to the satellite industry if the Commission had failed to stop the distribution of hundreds of thousands more radar detectors.
Endorsed the position of the retail industry that it is eminently feasible for stores to remove non-compliant radar detectors from their shelves and inventory,
Encouraged retailers to remove non-compliant radar detectors from their shelves and inventory as soon as possible.
Any remaining issues that exist with unsold inventories of non-compliant radar detectors should be able to be worked out as a commercial matter between the manufacturers who produced those devices, and the retailers to whom they sold those devices.
"If I were Radio Shack or any other retailer who was sold non-compliant devices during the pendency of this FCC proceeding, I would be appalled that the radar detector industry did not inform me of these potential rule changes while wholesale purchases were being made," said Mr. Dalbello.
