Articles Posted in August, 2026

Pillsbury’s communications lawyers have published the FCC Enforcement Monitor monthly since 1999 to inform our clients of notable FCC enforcement actions against FCC license holders and others.  This month’s issue includes:

• Georgia GMRS Licensee Receives Notice of Violation for Improperly Linking Repeaters
• FCC Cites Electronic Billboard Owner in Colorado for Years of Harmful Interference
• Three Texas FM Translators Cited for Retransmitting Wrong Primary Station

Improperly Linked Repeaters Generate Notice of Violation for Georgia GMRS Licensee

The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to a Georgia General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) licensee for improperly linking multiple GMRS repeaters via the internet.  Linking the repeaters allowed them to simultaneously retransmit radio messages over a larger geographic area than permitted under FCC rules.

GMRS is a mobile two-way voice communications service used for local communications needs such as vehicle to vehicle, neighborhood watch, and outdoor group activities.  It relies on only eight frequency pairs nationwide, which the FCC states are shared by more than 300,000 active GMRS licensees and millions of Family Radio Service users.  Because the available spectrum is limited, GMRS licensees must cooperate in the use of the frequencies.  GMRS was created as a service for relatively short-range communications, and as a result, the same frequency can be used in multiple locations as long as the distance between those locations is sufficient to prevent interference from occurring.

According to the NOV, Enforcement Bureau agents from the FCC’s Atlanta office monitored several repeaters owned by the licensee in February 2026.  Their investigation indicated that the repeaters were connected through the internet, but that the internet connections were not being used solely to control the stations remotely.  Instead, they were used to send voice messages to multiple repeaters for simultaneous transmission over their respective frequencies.

The NOV states that “[l]inking multiple repeaters is not in the public interest because it enables the retransmission of messages over much larger geographic areas, thereby limiting localized availability of the GMRS channels, monopolizing a limited spectrum resource, and increasing the potential for interference.”  FCC rules permit GMRS repeaters to be connected to telephone networks or the internet only for the purpose of remotely controlling a GMRS station, not for relaying messages that are then retransmitted by that station.

The NOV requires the licensee to submit a written response within 20 days fully explaining the alleged violation and the surrounding facts and circumstances, including the specific actions taken to correct the violation and prevent recurrence.  The response must include a timeline for completing any pending corrective actions and be supported by an affidavit or declaration from the licensee under penalty of perjury.  While the NOV does not itself impose a fine, the FCC may take additional enforcement action after reviewing the response, including issuing a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture.

Electronic Billboards Cause Harmful Interference to Wireless Communications

The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau issued a Citation and Order (Citation) to the operator of two electronic billboards in Colorado that the FCC says have caused harmful interference to a wireless carrier’s licensed communications network for more than four years.  The Citation directs the billboard operator to immediately stop using the interference-causing billboards, noting that future violations could result in fines of up to $25,132 per day for each device causing harmful interference.

The FCC began its investigation in January 2022 after receiving a complaint of radiofrequency interference in the 600 MHz and 700 MHz bands at a nearby wireless communications site.  FCC agents traced the interference to two electronic billboards mounted atop a building.  In April 2022, the Enforcement Bureau sent the billboard operator a warning letter explaining that the billboards were causing harmful interference to licensed wireless operations and directing that their operation be discontinued immediately. Continue reading →