Sound Around, Inc., located in this Brooklyn warehouse, continues to market microphones that were listed in the FCC’s Notice of Apparent Liability, such as this one available on Amazon. (Screen shot: December 19, 2023)
Sound Around, Inc. of Brooklyn, NY, is again in hot water with the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, as it faces a proposed penalty of $1,202,454 for alleged violations of FCC rules. The violations primarily revolve around the company’s marketing of non-compliant radio frequency devices and its repeated failure to comply with Commission orders.
The FCC’s investigation revealed that Sound Around marketed 33 radio frequency device models before obtaining proper authorization. These violations are particularly egregious because the company had previously been cited and investigated for similar infractions, resulting in a forfeiture order in 2022. Despite these warnings, Sound Around continued to market non-compliant devices, some of which can still be found on their Amazon website pages.
Furthermore, during the investigation, Sound Around provided incomplete responses to the FCC’s inquiries, which hindered the investigation and potentially violated two Commission orders.
The FCC’s rules mandate that marketers of radio frequency devices ensure their products do not interfere with authorized radio communications. Violations of these rules can incur substantial penalties.
This isn’t Sound Around’s first time under the FCC’s scrutiny. In 2011, the Bureau’s Spectrum Enforcement Division cited the company for marketing wireless microphones that operated outside authorized frequency bands and warned them to comply with Commission rules in the future.
During the investigation, Sound Around admitted to importing and marketing wireless devices from a Chinese company, some operating within restricted frequency bands.
The Sound Around, Inc. Notice of Apparent Liability For Forfeiture is available here.
