The FCC has proposed fining Acuity Brands Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia, $25,000 for apparently marketing radio frequency devices that were not labeled in accordance with Commission Part 18 rules at the time. The FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) on November 21. Compliance with the particular rule at issue now is voluntary.
“Specifically, Acuity marketed three models of consumer-grade electronic fluorescent lighting ballasts — two since 2006 and one since 2009 — that did not have the FCC logo affixed to them,” the FCC said in the NAL. Application of the FCC logo, which the FCC no longer requires, was to inform purchasers that a device had undergone compliance testing. The FCC also said Acuity continued to market two models of the ballasts at issue for approximately 6 months after being notified, causing the Commission to up the penalty.
“We take this action today as part of our duty to ensure that radio frequency devices are marketed in accordance with the Commission’s rules,” the FCC said. “Consistent with this goal, we find it necessary to enforce the rules requiring that devices subject to equipment authorization are properly labeled to inform a consumer that such devices have been tested for compliance under the Commission’s technical rules, because those devices could easily cause interference if they do not conform to those rules.
In January 2016, the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) conducted tests on Acuity’s AccuPro Model AP-RC-432IP-120-1 fluorescent lighting ballast after receiving complaints of interference said to have been caused by the ballasts. The matter was referred to the FCC Enforcement Bureau, to determine whether Acuity marketed the model at issue before receiving equipment authorization. In a Letter of Inquiry, the Bureau directed Acuity to submit a sworn written response to questions regarding its “marketing of potentially non-compliant fluorescent lighting ballasts.”
A footnote in the NAL points out that the use of the FCC logo became voluntary on November 2, but Accuity’s alleged violations occurred before that. The FCC adopted a rule that allows the FCC logo to be physically placed on a device at the discretion of the responsible party consistent with §18.209, but “only if [the] device complies with the applicable equipment authorization rules.” Presence of the logo “will not obviate the need to provide required compliance information or maintain pertinent records related to device testing,” the FCC said in adopting the change.
Acuity submitted test reports showing that the two types of fluorescent lighting ballasts it markets did comply with relevant technical requirements, but the company conceded that three models of its consumer-grade lighting ballasts did not have an FCC logo affixed for nearly 10 years.
After receiving the LOI, the FCC said, Acuity “took preliminary steps to bring the labeling of the subject ballasts into compliance.”
ARRL has in the past — and without response — complained to the FCC regarding the marketing and sale of interference-causing lighting ballasts, as well as about a lack of required compliance notifications.
Source:ARRL
VHF
Yaesu FT1DR C4FM 144/430 MHz Dual Band Digital Handheld Transceiver
The introduction of our Yaesu FT1DR 12.5 kHz C4FM/FDMA 144/430MHz Dual Band Digital Handheld Transceiver ushers in The Dawn of a New Digital Co... Read more
3D Hologram Hytera DMR Radio Demo
Hytera DMR Radio Read more
Larsen VHF/UHF Mobile Antennas KG2/70CXPL
VHF/UHF Mobile Antennas Antenna, VHF/UHF, Glass Mount, 144-148/442-448 MHz, 100 W, 32.75 in. Max Height, 14 ft. RG-58, PL-259, Each Brand:LARSEN ANT... Read more
New Microwave, UHF Distance Records Set on Same Day
New distance records were set on 47 GHz and on 902 MHz on June 30 by stations at vastly separated points on the globe. On 47 GHz, US and Canadian oper... Read more
VHF and UHF FM Transceiver MT-777
Application For on-site communications such as warehouse, manufacturing, hospitality, school and security occasion, etc. Main Features ■ 50 CTCS... Read more
Equipment
New ! Band decoder with another TRX control output for Arduino
Allows you to read the frequency or band data from your transceiver and switch output relay(s) by the defined rules . Another feature allows you to se... Read more
The DUC/DDC HF/VHF SunSDR2 transceiver
SunSDR2-transceiver – is an up-to-date system of the amateur radio communication in the HF and VHF frequency bands with the digital signal proce... Read more
Japanese HF KL-1 Kohjinsha PA – 5 KW
The KL-1 consists of a sophisticated and sturdy Main Unit and a Desk Top Controller with five meters (HV, IP, IG, FWD, and REF). The LCD displays BAND... Read more
FlexRadio 1500W Solid State Amplifier
The Power Genius XL is a 100% duty cycle, legal limit (1500W) 1.8-54 MHz RF amplifier intended for both amateur and government use. It incorporates a... Read more
ICOM IC-DPR30
ICOM IC-DPR30 Smallest and lightest ever ※ 1 , built-in antenna, Bluetooth ® support. New release of the transceiver IC-DPR30 that can be used to styl... Read more
Antenna
PVC Antenna Launcher by K8BLO
PVC Antenna Launcher – Download: Read more
Cross-Band Yagi 144/430 MHz 5+9 el. 150cm
DK7ZB based, especially recalculated for armateur sattelites use – 146 and 437 MHz. Cross-Band Yagi The antenna is designed mainly for co... Read more
The Mark MKII 3 band (10, 15, 20m)
MK II 2 ELEMENT COMPLETE 3 band (10, 15, 20m) Antenna – 5 band (12m, 17m) 8- DELUXE FIBERGLASS QUAD ARMS – 13FT. 2- CUBEX QUAD SPIDERS-ONE... Read more
Cushcraft A4S Yagi Beam Triband 4 ele. 10,15,20M
Cushcraft A4S A4S Four Element Beam – 10, 15 & 20 Meters A4S is the true, high performance tribander. Precisely tuned high-power traps, c... Read more
Building Coaxial Cable Traps by W8WWV
“ “Introduction This page describes the design and construction materials I used to build a coaxial cable trap. A coaxial cable tr... Read more
Review
How Does An Inexpensive Transceiver Sound Compared to A High End Transceiver?
Jim W6LG plays recordings of an Elecraft K3s and a Yaesu FT-450. Which sounds best to you? Vote for receiver #1 or receiver #2 and give a very short d... Read more
Kenwood TH-D74 – Review and Quick Tour (4K) – English version
“This video is a quick tour, but complete, of the Kenwood TH-D74. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to ask via the comments... Read more
Yaesu FT-818 – Unboxing [ Video ]
The new FT-818 incorporates all the many basic and attractive features of the ever-popular FT-817ND while providing upgrades desired by many existing... Read more
KX3 Transceiver – Product Review by ARRL
KX3 Transceiver Reviewed by Joel R. Hallas, W1ZR QST Technical Editor w1zr@arrl.org The Elecraft KX3 is a nominal 10 W HF and 6 meter transceiver inte... Read more
Heil HS2 Hand PTT switch for 2 radios with MFJ-1263
“In this video you will find information about the Heil HS2 handheld PTT switch that I use with my 2 Kenwood radios (TS-2000 and TS-990), thanks... Read more