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The Telecommunications Authority (TA) today (March 23) served a notice on Citizens' Radio directing it to cease operating immediately all radio apparatus which was found to have caused harmful interference to an aeronautical communication channel.
"In the evening of March 22, the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) received a complaint from the Civil Aviation Department that their communication channel has been interfered with by sound broadcasting signals. OFTA conducted an investigation promptly and following that, we have reasons to believe that the source of interference originated from the unlicensed radio transmitting equipment installed in an industrial building in Chai Wan and operated by Citizens' Radio. As the interference would pose risk to aviation safety, the TA has issued a notice today directing Citizens' Radio to immediately cease operating its radio transmitter that caused harmful interference under section 32J of the Telecommunications Ordinance (TO)," a spokesperson of OFTA said.
"Under section 32J of the TO, any person who, knowingly and without lawful excuse, uses an apparatus in a manner that causes harmful interference with any other lawful telecommunications services or apparatus, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine of HK$50,000 and to imprisonment for 6 months," the spokesperson added.
"OFTA would monitor the situation closely and take enforcement action as appropriate if Citizens' Radio fails to comply with the notice by ceasing operation of its radio transmitter," the spokesperson warned.
Ends/Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Issued at HKT 21:54
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