FCC Issues $1 Million Forfeiture Order

I think I scooped Conformity Magazine on this one, it’s not that I was trying to scoop them, I just got lucky. 😉

Last year I posted about the FCC issuing a notice of apparent liability against Behringer USA, Inc. On June 1st, the FCC released the forfeiture order for one million dollars, ouch. The FCC rejected Behringer’s claims including one that CE compliance = FCC compliance. Quote from the order:

12. We disagree. Although the CE and the FCC standards share some common elements, as the NAL noted, “[CE] testing neither is the equivalent of nor demonstrates compliance with the Commission’s technical standards.”

Lesson for all you designers, manufacturers and, importers of embedded devices, follow the FCC rules, they take their job very seriously. If FCC enforcement isn’t enough inducement think of it this way. How would you like it if an emergency professional had delays helping you or a loved one because some interfering product is being operated nearby. Think about it, RF interference isn’t usually a life or death situation but it could be.