FCC Bureau Proposes Fine Against Maker of Hygiene and Wellness Devices

The FCC Enforcement Bureau proposed a fine of $590,380 against Bear Down Brands, dba Pure Enrichment, for allegedly selling 14 models of consumer-grade electronic personal hygiene and wellness devices that were “apparently noncompliant because they lacked proper equipment authorization, user manual disclosures, and/or FCC labels.” The bureau said 13 models complied with rules as of Feb. 15, and the company “continues to market one noncompliant model that lacks the proper user manual disclosures and FCC labeling in apparent violation of the Commission’s rules.” Pure didn’t comment. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said the penalty wasn’t tough enough. “While forfeitures can be upwardly adjusted to account for the severity of the violation, as is done here, it still does not excuse the totally inadequate base forfeiture of $98,000 for the serious violations revealed in this item,” he said. “Compare this proposed forfeiture to robocall violations where the Commission assesses penalties per phone call, resulting in multi-million-dollar fines.”