[I invite some of the FCC folks on Politech to contribute, identity kept confidential upon request. --Declan] --- From: "Geoff Gariepy" <geoff_gariepyat_private> To: "Declan McCullagh" <declanat_private> Subject: The FCC's coming for your radar detector...because you're going to use it to steal gasoline. Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 13:09:30 -0400 Apparently, ChevronTexaco Corporation has filed an endorsement with the FCC on new regulation that would apply to radar detectors because the 25 million devices in use interfere with high-tech payment systems now becoming popular at the gas pump. According to the briefing (http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_docume nt=6513084938), Chevron uses VSAT services provided by Hughes Network Systems to beam credit card authorization data from the gas pump to their host computer system. They've discovered that folks using radar detectors will inadvertently interfere with these communications due to the fact that the detectors emit a small amount of RF energy on the same wavelengths used by the satellite communications. Apparently, the company fears that "thieves could use these devices to steal motor fuel by simply activating a radar detector while fueling." Reading through the FCC documents on this proposed regulation also reveals that there are companies eager to use the Ka-band part of the spectrum to provide 'direct to home' wireless Internet access for rural and other 'underserved' areas, among other things. Since there's a long-standing principle in FCC regulations which says in effect that unlicensed devices cannot interfere with licensed communications, and must accept any intereference from licensed devices, it looks like we're in for a new round of FCC regulation on radar detectors. In response, the president of Escort, Inc. has said they can't afford new regulation, and offered to move the emissions to a different part of the spectrum. It appears that there are other satcom interests which have concerns about the frequency range he's talking about, though. The original article I dug this out of is was in this week's 'Computerworld' and can be viewed at http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/ebusiness/story/0,10801,71036,00.html The bottom line: radar detectors may well be regulated out of existence. --Geoff ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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