Tuesday, June 27th, 2006...3:01 am
NAB Discovers Many Personal FM Transmitter Break Law
NAB (National Association of Broadcasters,) issued a report to the FCC that over 13 personal FM transmitters currently on the market does not meet FCC Part 15 Rules for proper emission limits.
What this means to the you, the normal everyday user? For some time many companies have been producing Mini-FM transmitters, the type you may have purchased to connect your iPods, MP3 players and satellite radios to your in car radios. Many of these transmitters do not meet the legal requirements of proper registration and testing with the FCC, or the transmitter may be emitting excessively strong or improperly focused signals blasting over several frequencies, causing bleed-through and could even effect the ability for your to receive other types of signals.
“One device transmitted a signal that was 20,000% stronger than allowed by FCC rules. Many of the devices also transmitted signals that were substantially wider in bandwidth than permitted by the FCC, resulting in potential interference to 1st and 2nd adjacent channels as well.” According to Dennis Wharton, VP of Communications for the NAB.
Why is this important? The FCC (known as the Federal Communications Commission) is entrusted by Law to protect the public from improperly manufactured devices, and to protect the broadcast frequencies, known as the spectrum for proper use by their proper trustees, like broadcasters, cell phone companies and Amateur Radio. When devices like the transmitters are not tested, it is normally because of sloppy manufacturing, or because some manufacturers either do not know the law or refuse to abide by the law until caught.
From my perspective this situation has been going on far too long. I have personally spoken to the FCC numerous times about enforcing the testing and compliance regulations for years. I urges the FCC to enforce its Part 15 rules to these transmitters and protect the public’s right to use and enjoy the free over-the-air radio broadcast services.
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Tags: FM Transmitters, FCC, NAB, personal FM transmitter
