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FCC Orders a Brooklyn Man To Turn Off His Bitcoin Miner Because It Was Interfering With T-Mobile's Wireless Network (arstechnica.com)

Posted by msmash on from the not-the-onion dept.

A New York City resident was ordered to turn off his bitcoin miner after the Federal Communications Commission discovered that it was interfering with T-Mobile's wireless network. From a report: After receiving a complaint from T-Mobile about interference to its 700MHz LTE network in Brooklyn, New York, FCC agents in November 2017 determined that radio emissions in the 700MHz band were coming from the residence of a man named Victor Rosario. "When the interfering device was turned off the interference ceased," the FCC's enforcement bureau told Rosario in a "Notification of Harmful Interference" yesterday. "You identified the device as an Antminer S5 Bitcoin Miner. The device was generating spurious emissions on frequencies assigned to T-Mobile's broadband network and causing harmful interference." The FCC told Rosario that continued interference with T-Mobile's network while operating the device would be a violation of federal laws "and could subject the operator to severe penalties, including, but not limited to, substantial monetary fines, in rem arrest action to seize the offending radio equipment, and criminal sanctions including imprisonment."

6 of 207 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Mr. Tinfoil by Sarten-X · · Score: 5, Funny

    If the miner had its own tinfoil hat, there wouldn't have been any interference!

    --
    You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
  2. Waste of energy by TJHook3r · · Score: 5, Funny

    Disrupting emergency services, helping global warming, distributing child porn... Is there anything Bitcoin CAN'T do?

    1. Re:Waste of energy by Aaden42 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yes. Hold a steady valuation for five minutes.

    2. Re:Waste of energy by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1, Funny

      Make a transaction for less than the cost of Starbucks' fanciest coffee.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  3. Re:Meh. by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 4, Funny

    But what if he wants to call his Faraday cage something else than "a day"?

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  4. It's a start by PPH · · Score: 1, Funny

    Now everyone throw out your cheap CFLs and LED bulbs. You are screwing up my ham radio. Come on, FCC. Where is your van when we need it?

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.