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From: someone To: another list Subject: FCC Bites Kevin Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 18:10:20 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0

Famed hacker Kevin Mitnick is also General Class radio amateur N6NHG. In December 1999 he applied to renew his ham license, but today the FCC designated the application for hearing, to determine whether he has the requisite character to remain a licensee. Mitnick or his attorney will have to appear before an administrative law judge (ALJ) if he wants to save the license.

ALJ hearings in the amateur service are rare. They normally are reserved for flagrant cases. The FCC does not allege that Mitnick misused his ham license; it was enough that he was convicted of felonies.

The hearing designation order (FCC 01-359, Docket WT 01-344) cites a couple of other high-profile ham license revocation cases, including Herb Schoenbohm, an FCC critic from the US Virgin Islands who reputedly misused telephone calling cards; and L.D. Brewer, a radio pirate and mail-order transmitter dealer (http://www.ldbrewer.com).

The FCC is extremely tenacious in these cases and I think there is little chance that Kevin will retain his license.

steve