FC: Will radar detectors be regulated out of existence?

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[I invite some of the FCC folks on Politech to contribute, identity kept 
confidential upon request. --Declan]

---

From: "Geoff Gariepy" <geoff_gariepy () hotmail com>
To: "Declan McCullagh" <declan () well com>
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




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