Hacker News Reader

Comment by walrus01 | Hacker News Reader

> To be fair, HAMs are typically empowered by actual telecommunications agencies with legislative authority to enter premises and what have you to resolve issues

Citation, please?

I'd really like to see a documented example of some HAM entering somebody else's premises on, what, a self-appointed search warrant to hunt down a transmitter they deem illegitimate? In the USA that seems like a good way to get shot by a homeowner.

View on HN

I read this as:

'[the] actual telecommunications agencies [under defined circumstances have] .. legislative authority to enter premises and what have you to resolve issues'

No, OFCOM in the UK or Traficom in Finland (the two I'm familiar with) don't have armed units going door to door but if circumstances & the law deem it so then they can show up with the police and the necessary warrants/orders and do so.

The FCC has authority to enter premises and what have you to resolve issues. The HAMs are empowered by their ability to see find transmitters, and call the tip line.

I would say that 99.9% of the time I've ever heard of fcc staff entering a location on their own without the staff around it's a licensed broadcaster. Like to visit an AM array in a field that's gone silent and not filed proper paperwork. Never in my life heard of the FCC on its own serving a warrant to search a premises. Tagging along with other law enforcement, maybe.

The FCC does NOT need a search warrant to inspect radio equipment:

https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/guides/inspection-fact-...

Yes, I know what the law is. In practical reality they only use this for inspecting commercial broadcast sites and things like large cellular rooftop sector sites.

I'd be very interested in seeing anyone that can provide an real world example of FCC staff on their own, not tagging along with other law enforcement agencies entering onto private residential properties (like a house) to conduct their own search. I work professionally in two way radio systems and have never heard of this happening. The FCC does not execute its own search warrants.

...and arrested for breaking and entering.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com