The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has decided to act on its own account against multiple e-commerce platforms regarding the sale of walkie-talkies which did not meet the regulatory requirements. The authority has slapped a total fine of around ₹44 lakh on various companies like Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho.
Identification of Regulatory Violations
- The CCPA discovered that a number of the listed walkie-talkie products were in breach of telecom and consumer protection regulations. The CCPA further explained that under the current regulations, only personal mobile radios that operate within the 446.0–446.2 MHz frequency band are exempted from licensing. Sellers operating in other frequency bands are required to obtain an Equipment Type Approval (ETA) certificate prior to import and sale.
- Moreover, sellers are obligated to provide consumers with clear information regarding licensing and regulatory aspects. The CCPA observed that several listings lacked such disclosures or the ones provided were very vague.
- E-commerce platforms like Amazon, and others were selling walkie-talkies, which worked beyond the range of frequencies where licensing was not required, resulting in non-compliance with the regulations.
Fines:
- Meesho, Meta, Flipkart, and Amazon: ₹10 lakh each
- Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro, and Maskman Toys: ₹1 lakh each
The CCPA announced that Meesho, Meta, Chimiya, JioMart, and Talk Pro have already made the payments for the fines imposed.
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