WASHINGTON -- The FCC this week issued an advisory warning importers, sellers and users of cell phone jammers, GPS jammers and other jamming devices that they face monetary penalties that can exceed $100,000 per violation, even if the jammer is used on private property.
FCC Enforcement Advisory 2012-08 explains, “If you purchase a jammer online and ship it to the U.S., you have violated federal law. When you buy jammers from outside the U.S.–used or new–you become the “importer” of an illegal device. It does not matter whether you purchased the device from an established business or an individual selling the jammer in an online auction.”
Tuesday's FCC Daily Digest lists citations filed against six Craigslist sellers for marking illegal signal jamming devices. These are from the 23 signal jammer ads on craigslist targeted by the FCC.
“Merely posting a signal jammer ad on sites like craigslist.org violates federal law,” said Michele Ellison, the FCCs’ enforcement chief. “Signal jammers are contraband for a reason. Simply put, jammers block all communications within range--not just the unwanted ones. One person’s moment of peace or privacy could very well endanger the safety and well-being of others. We intend to take increasingly aggressive enforcement action against violators. If we catch you selling or operating a jammer, it’s going to cost you.”
