According to a Forfeiture Order issued by the FCC in late July, the company “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.”
The devices reportedly provide a video link between transmitters mounted on drones and drone users but can operate outside of frequency bands designated for amateur use, thereby requiring FCC certification.
The FCC’s Spectrum Enforcement Division initially investigated HobbyKing in 2016 after receiving multiple complaints regarding the company’s marketing of the illegal transmitters. Subsequent investigations by the FCC determined that HobbyKing marketed at least 65 different transmitter models that had not been FCC certified.
More troubling, 12 of the models marketed by the company operated in restricted frequency reserved for federal uses and could interfere with critical systems of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other operations. In addition, three of the models were found to operate at power levels exceeding Commission limits, and that could interfere with FAA terminal doppler weather radar.
In its Forfeiture Order, the FCC cited HobbyKing for “persistently violating” the Commission’s rules and for failing to respond to the Commission’s orders in its investigation of the company’s practices.
According to reported posted to the Brinkwire website, inspections of the engine coverings, also known as nacelles, will be required prior to the FAA providing Boeing with clearance to fly the 737 MAX aircraft. While the company successfully argued that the coverings provided a sufficient defense against lighting strikes, the FAA believes that “strong electromagnetic fields could cause a loss of power or faulty readings in the cockpit because of inadequate shielding around wiring.”
Reportedly, routine polishing of the engine covering panels results in the loss of some layers of metal foil needed to properly shield internal wiring. Should the inspections find engine covering panels that have been “excessively reworked,” the company will need to replace them prior to clearance.
Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft have been grounded since March 2019 following two separate crashes in 2018 and 2019 that claimed more 346 lives.
According to a Sixth Report and Order issued by the Commission in mid-July, the FCC has now affirmed the so-called z-axis location accuracy metric requirements for wireless service providers. The z-axis metric is a coordinate-based location measurement that establishes the vertical location of a wireless handset within 3 meters. Adopting the z-axis metric as a requirement will enable service providers to transmit more accurate information to 911 call centers on the location of wireless emergency calls originating from multi-story buildings.
Compliance with the z-axis requirements will be mandatory for wireless companies serving the top 25 and 50 U.S. wireless markets, as of April 2021 and April 2023, respectively.
A Report and Order issued by the Commission in mid-July implements new rules that will require all telecommunications carriers and voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) service providers to direct all calls made to 988 to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a national network of about 170 separate crisis centers across the country. Carriers and service providers have until July 16, 2022 to effect the automatic transfer of 988 calls.
According to the FCC, suicide has ranked as the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. since 2008. More than 48,000 Americans died from suicide in 2018, the equivalent of about one death from suicide every 11 minutes.