A Maryland resident has been ordered by the Federal Communications Commission to stop using a surveillance camera that the FCC says is interfering with neighbors’ reception of SiriusXM satellite.
The commission told her that if she fails to comply she could face fines of more than $23,000 per day.
The case arose last November when a consumer filed a complaint. Agents from the commission’s Columbia, Md., office used direction-finding equipment and traced the interference to a 2.4 GHz camera at the residence in Joppa, Md., northeast of Baltimore.
The camera did not have an FCC identifier or other required labeling, according to the FCC account.
The agents left a notice on the door informing her about the problem and explaining the relevant FCC rules. In February they sent a notice of harmful interference telling her that the interference needed to stop. The FCC said the camera was still in use when agents visited again in January and April.
“Harmful interference to satellite radio providers, such as Sirius XM Radio Inc., is particularly problematic as it can hinder subscribers from receiving crucial public safety information and emergency alerts and undermines the commission’s ability to manage the nation’s radio spectrum,” the Enforcement Bureau wrote in a citation and order this week.
It directed her to “immediately cease and desist” from using the device and told her to respond in writing or in person within 30 days to confirm that the problem had been resolved. (Read the FCC citation.)
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