FCC ISSUES $2.8 MILLION FINE FOR MARKETING OF ILLEGAL UAS TRANSMITTERS
September 30, 2020
On July 23, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a forfeiture order, available here, fining Hobbyking $2.86 Million in connection with the marketing of UAS transmitters that operated in unauthorized radio frequency bands. The FCC alleges that Hobbyking, “advertised and sold on its website to U.S. consumers dozens of models of auto/video transmitters for use with unmanned aircraft systems (drones), without regard to whether those AV transmitters were compliant with the…Commission’s rules,” which included at least 65 different transmitter models that had not been FCC certified. Furthermore, the FCC alleges that 12 of the marketed transmitter models operated in restricted frequency reserved for federal use and could potentially interfere with critical systems of the FAA. Hobbyking has 30 days from the date of the order to pay the fine.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6622); Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6665), or Andy Orr (aorr@eckertsemans.com or 202-659-6625).
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