A Slow News Day in Coleman, Texas

February 18, 2026

Give them credit . . .

It must have been a slow news day. The local TV station in Coleman, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) recently reported that the Fire Department with the assistance of the local police and the FCC seized an improperly programmed two-way radio that was “found transmitting on an emergency frequency without authorization.” The article stated that the person who had the radio confiscated was unaware that the radio was transmitting in the first place and causing interference to the fire department. I guess that is possible, but a bit suspect. The radio was purchased “online” which explains a lot since radios sold over the internet are rarely, if ever, accompanied by plain English instructions, like you need a radio license issued from the FCC. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the radio was manufactured in China. I can see the perpetrator’s face when an official advised him that there were channels already tuned within the radio. What? There are? What stinking emergency channels? How would I know that? You wouldn’t but should.

Nevertheless, it was a good day in Coleman, Texas with the capture of the fugitive portable radio. To wrap up the story, the article reported that while there are no criminal charges being filed at this time, a federal investigation is ongoing(!) The fire department is also reminding the public “of the risks associated with owning two-way radios(!)” Finally, the article concludes noting that unauthorized transmission on emergency frequencies (we’ll assume that all fire and police frequencies are considered emergency channels since there are no FCC-designated emergency use channels) “can result in FCC fines exceeding $100,000 per violation, and jail time if you really get out of hand(!)

I can add nothing further to the story.

About Crosby's Blog

Unleashed and unvarnished, Mark provides his unique commentary on important telecom policy issues of the day. www.enterprisewireless.org/blog

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