Telecoms regulator Ofcom has announced a proposal to legalise
the transmitters and said that it will consult with industry and
the public on the changes.
Ofcom can grant exemptions to the 1949 Wireless Telegraphy Act,
which forbids any transmitting without exemption. None is currently
granted for low power transmitters.
The devices have become popular among MP3 player users who have
found it an easy way to make other machines, such as car stereos or
home systems, play the material on their MP3 players. One, the
iTrip, is marketed specifically at the market-leading iPod,
although it is not made by Apple.
"Wherever possible Ofcom seeks to reduce the regulatory burden,"
said an Ofcom statement. "[It] aims to support the development of
innovative radio technologies and applications. One way in which it
can do this is to remove the need for spectrum users to apply for
individual licences to authorise the use of radio equipment."
The regulator will consult for one month and hopes to have the
new rules in place in autumn of this year.
The proposals also include a plan to allow anyone to use
citizens' band, or CB, radio without a
licence from Ofcom. It said that 20,000 people still use the
frequencies for communication with one another.
Also among the plans are measures to free up extra radio
spectrum for other low power transmitters such as hearing aids,
tracking systems and alarms.
