NEWS
                                                                         
Report No. CI 98-3     COMPLIANCE AND INFORMATION ACTION      March 20,
1998     
                                    
               FCC CLOSES DOWN UNLICENSED RADIO OPERATION 
           THAT THREATENED AIR SAFETY AT SACRAMENTO AIRPORT; 
           FOURTH AIRPORT INTERFERENCE INCIDENT IN FIVE  MONTHS
                                    
       The Federal Communications Commission today announced it had located and shut-
down an unlicensed radio broadcasting operation in Sacramento, California, that was reported
by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to be causing interference to safe air traffic
control communications at Sacramento Executive Airport. 

       The FCC said that after investigating FAA complaints about interference at the airport
on four different frequencies, it identified the source as an unlicensed radio station operating
on 107.2 MHz from the office of  Dollar and Sense Productions, 2251 Florin Road, Suite
128, Sacramento. FCC investigators informed the operator of the interference yesterday, and
shortly thereafter the station shut down its operations.

       In a letter to the FCC on the incident, the FAA told the FCC the unlicensed radio
operation was "creating an unsafe condition in our National Airspace System."

       This is the fourth time in the last five months that FCC investigators have had to
make emergency-response investigations to locate illegal unlicensed broadcast stations which
were interfering with air traffic communications.  In October 1997, the FCC obtained
voluntary shut down of two separate unlicensed operations interfering with air traffic control
frequencies at Miami International Airport and West Palm Beach International Airport.  In
February this year, the FCC and Office of the United States Attorney for the District of
Puerto Rico obtained a court order to confiscate transmission equipment from an unlicensed
operator who was causing interference at San Juan International Airport and who refused to
shut-down voluntarily.

       FCC Chairman William Kennard said, "Unlicensed radio operations such as this pose
a threat to critical air traffic communications and a risk to safety of life due to the interfering
transmissions.  I am concerned that we have now had multiple incidents of interference at
four airports around the country. We will continue to inform the public of these dangers and
to move swiftly to eliminate these potential hazards to air traffic communications."  

  - more -
                                    
                                    
       In the Sacramento case,  the FCC's San Francisco office was first alerted by the FAA
on Wednesday, March 18, that aircraft over Napa, California, were receiving interference to
their radio communications and that there was a radio station signal being heard on the
pilots' air traffic control radio channel.  The FCC began an immediate investigation, but was
hampered by the fact that the signal was only being heard high in the air and the possible
location of the source was anywhere in a 60 mile radius of Napa. 

       On Thursday, March 19, the investigation focused in the Sacramento, California, area
when the FCC was notified that the FAA radios at Sacramento Executive Airport were
receiving interference on several channels (119.5, 122.2, 125.0, and 126.8 MHz) from a
radio station. The FAA reported that the station appeared to be drifting or changing
frequency.  

       Two FCC investigators were immediately dispatched to Sacramento.  FCC technical
measurements showed that the transmitter of the illegal station was not only sending out the
intended broadcast station signal, it was also sending out numerous other spurious signals on
aviation frequencies.  When notified of the interference, the operator of the unlicensed
operation voluntarily shut down the transmissions.

        Unlicensed radio transmissions, in general, can create a danger of interference to
important radio communications services.  Such illegal transmissions, using equipment of
unknown technical integrity, raise a particular concern because of the potential for harmful
interference to authorized radio operations, including public safety communications and
aircraft frequencies, as in this case.  Unlicensed broadcast stations are of particular concern
because they operate on channels directly adjacent to those used for sensitive aviation
communications and air navigation signals.  

       Under federal law, radio stations may be operated only upon the issuance of an FCC
license covering such equipment.  Unlicensed operation may subject the violator to serious
penalties provided for in the Communications Act of a civil fine of up to $11,000 and/or
seizure and forfeiture of the radio equipment by court order. Violators could also be subject
to criminal fines imposed by the Justice Department of up to $100,000, and/or imprisonment
for up to one year or both for a first offense.   

       In addition, interference with a government communications system, such as the FAA
air traffic control or air navigation systems, is a federal felony and violators can be punished
under the federal criminal code.


                                                               -FCC-

News Media Contact:  David Fiske,  (202) 418-0513
Compliance and Information Bureau Contact:  Joseph Casey, (202) 418-1100