FCC issues violation notice to Nike for faulty DAS network card

Citing a faulty UHF amplifier card in its corporate distributed antenna system (DAS) network, the FCC's Enforcement Bureau issued a Notice of Violation to Nike.

The underlying incident occurred on Nov. 18, 2014, when an Enforcement Bureau agent traced interfering signals to Nike's corporate DAS network in Hillsboro, Ore., according to a Hogan Lovells blog. The agent identified a defective UHF amplifier card in the SOLiD Technologies DAS at the remote hub.

The FCC found that Nike's DAS network was causing interference to an unidentified private business radio or public safety licensee in the band, according the blog. Nike remedied the issue by replacing the card. Without proposing penalties, the FCC's notice requires Nike to submit information regarding the violation and the remedial actions taken.

As Hogan Lovells points out, the Nike notice is the latest indication that the FCC Enforcement Bureau is taking a more aggressive approach toward FCC rule violations under new acting Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc.  LeBlanc was appointed to his position by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in March.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that the FCC could fine AT&T Mobility (NYSE: T)  over its throttling practices after AT&T failed to adequately notify customers about reductions in mobile data speeds for some heavy users. The FCC is investigating whether AT&T violated government rules and orders, the agency said in a letter AT&T filed in court Jan. 5.

In October, AT&T agreed to pay a record-setting $105 million penalty to settle an investigation by the FCC that concluded the carrier billed customers millions of dollars in unauthorized third-party subscriptions and premium text messaging services. 

It's not the only operator coming under fire. Sprint (NYSE: S) also could be faced with a $105 million fine from the FCC for knowingly overcharging its customers for third-party services, while Verizon (NYSE: VZ) agreed to pay $7.4 million last year to resolve an investigation on how it used consumer's information for marketing purposes.

For more:
- see this Hogan Lovells post

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