Cab Company Fined for Ham Interference

The FCC fined Portland Taxicab in Oregon $12,000 for operating on two frequencies without commission authorization and transmitting spurious emissions that interfered with an amateur radio station.
In March 2003, after tracking the interference, a commission field agent warned the taxicab company that it was operating on unauthorized frequencies and interfering with a ham operator. Portland said it would change frequencies and fix its transmitter.
Shortly after that, the field agent monitored the company again and found it was still in violation. That’s when the commission levied a fine.
In its response, Portland doesn’t deny its violations, stating it fired the former manager for “misleading the owners” and mis-managing the company resulting in financial difficulty. Portland asked for the penalty to be waived or reduced, and submitted a tax return and unsigned “balance sheets,” and a letter from its current manager regarding its financial condition.
The commission said the fact that Portland fired its manager doesn’t negate the fact that it violated the law. The agency called the documents Portland submitted to back its claim of not being able to afford to pay the fine “non verified” and unacceptable.
The fine stands and Portland has 30 days to pay.