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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
ENFORCEMENT BUREAU
South Central Region
San Juan Office
US Federal Building Room 762
San Juan, PR 00918-1731
787-766-5568
March 13th, 2012
Via Certified Mail:
The WIFI Store
#240 Carretera 865
Bo. Capanilla
Toa Baja, PR 00949
NOTICE OF UNLICENSED OPERATION AND
NOTIFICATION OF HARMFUL INTERFERENCE
Case Number: EB-FIELDSCR-12-00001097
Document Number: W2012326832680001
On March 5, 2012, in response to information provided by the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) that the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar
(TDWR) that serves the San Juan International Airport had been receiving
interference on or adjacent to 5.61 GHz, the FCC's San Juan Office of the
Enforcement Bureau (San Juan Office) conducted an investigation in the
Capanillas Ward in the municipality of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. An agent
from this Office confirmed by direction finding techniques that radio
emissions centered on frequency 5.620 GHz were emanating from the
building's roof located at #240 on Carretera 865, the location of one of
your Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) Ubiquity
devices, model Rocket M5 with FCC ID SWX-M5 (Ubiquiti Rocket M5). On March
6, 2012, an agent from the San Juan Office contacted you and informed you
of the interference problem. When the center frequency of your U-NII
device was moved off of 5620 MHz and out of the TDWR operational band, the
interference to the TDWR ceased.
Radio stations must be licensed by the FCC pursuant to 47 U.S.C. S: 301.
The only exception to this licensing requirement is for certain
transmitters using or operating at a power level or mode of operation that
complies with the standards established in Part 15 of the Commission's
rules. Non-licensed operation pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC's rules,
however, is conditioned upon compliance with all applicable regulations in
the subpart, 47 C.F.R. S: 15.1(b). All intentional radiators operating
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC's rules must be certified for use as a Part
15 device, 47 C.F.R. S: 15.201(b).
The Ubiquiti Rocket M5 device is not authorized for use on frequency 5.620
GHz. Accordingly, your operation of the Ubiquiti Rocket M5 device on
frequency 5.620 GHz does not comply with the requirements of Part 15 of
the FCC's rules and should therefore be licensed by the FCC. The FCC has
no record of a license being issued to you to operate a transmitter on
5.620 GHz from #240 on Carretera 865. Thus, your operation was in
violation of 47 U.S.C. S: 301.
Non-licensed operation of a U-NII device is also subject to the condition
that it must not cause harmful interference and, if harmful interference
occurs, operation of the device must cease. See 47 C.F.R. S:S: 15.5(c),
15.405. Harmful interference is defined as "[a]ny emission, radiation or
induction that endangers the functioning of a radio navigation service or
of other safety services or seriously degrades, obstructs or repeatedly
interrupts a radio communications service." 47 C.F.R. S: 15.3(m).
You are hereby notified that your Ubiquiti Rocket M5 device operating on
5.620 MHz was causing harmful interference to the TDWR at the San Juan
International Airport and that your operation of this device must not
resume, until the interference can be resolved. You are also hereby warned
that operation of radio transmitting equipment without a valid radio
station authorization, including non-certified equipment or modified
equipment which voids the certification, and/or operation of otherwise
authorized equipment that continues to cause harmful interference after
your receipt of this warning, constitutes a violation of the Federal laws
cited above and could subject the operator to severe penalties, including,
but not limited to, substantial monetary fines, in rem arrest action
against the offending radio equipment, and criminal sanctions including
imprisonment. (see 47 U.S.C. S:S: 401, 501, 503 and 510).
UNLICENSED OPERATION ON FREQUENCY 5.620 GHZ MUST NOT RESUME. NONLICENSED
OPERATION OF A U-NII DEVICE MAY NOT RESUME UNLESS YOU ARE IN FULL
COMPLIANCE WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC'S RULES AND UNTIL YOU RESOLVE THE
HARMFUL INTERFERENCE.
You have ten (10) days from the date of this notice to respond with any
evidence that your transmitter is not the source of the interference to
the TDWR. Your response should describe the steps you are planning to take
to eliminate future interference to the TDWR of the San Juan International
Airport. Your response should be sent to the address in the letterhead and
reference the listed case and document number. Under the Privacy Act of
1974, 5 U.S.C. S: 552a(e)(3), we are informing you that the Commission's
staff will use all relevant material information before it to determine
what, if any, enforcement action is required to ensure your compliance
with FCC Rules. This will include any information that you disclose in
your reply.
You may contact this office if you have any questions.
Reuben Jusino
Resident Agent
San Juan Office
Attachments:
Excerpts from the Communications Act of 1934, As Amended
Enforcement Bureau, "Inspection Fact Sheet", July 2003
According to its equipment authorization, FCC ID SWX-M5, the Ubiquiti
Rocket M5 device is authorized pursuant to Section 15.247 of the FCC's
Rules to operate only in the 5745 to 5825 MHz band. See 47 C.F.R. S:
15.247.