The Federal Communications Commission has sent a notice of unlicensed operation in the 11 GHz band to an internet service provider in the Sierra Nevada foothill region of California.
Conifer Communications is an ISP based in Groveland. The FCC said it was transmitting on 10.915 GHz for over a year after its license had expired.
That part of the radio spectrum is allocated by the commission for common carrier and fixed point-to-point microwave operations.
The San Francisco office of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau said that it received a complaint of an unlicensed station operating atop Moccasin Peak.
Last September, according to the commission’s account, agents confirmed that Conifer Communications was transmitting with a license that expired in February 2024 and had not been renewed.
The Enforcement Bureau warned that operating radio transmitting equipment without authorization is a violation of federal law and could subject Conifer to monetary fines and seizure of the equipment.
Conifer Communications must discontinue operations immediately and must not resume. It also has 10 days from the date of the notice to respond with any evidence that it has authority to operate.
