Key Details
The Hogar order is the latest step in the CCPA’s continuing action against walkie-talkies advertised without enough information for buyers to judge whether they can lawfully use the device.
Earlier action: The CCPA identified more than 16,970 non-compliant listings across online platforms and issued notices to 13 e-commerce entities.
Latest order: It imposed a ₹1 lakh penalty on Hogar Technologies and Innovations LLP after finding that listings on the company’s website did not clearly disclose operating frequencies, licensing requirements and regulatory approvals.
Licence distinction: Personal mobile radios operating at 446.0–446.2 MHz are exempt from licensing subject to specified conditions. Devices outside that range are subject to the relevant regulatory requirements.
Enforcement to date: The CCPA reports 12 final penalty orders totalling ₹58 lakh. Some affected entities have challenged orders or proceedings before courts or consumer-dispute forums.
The Crackdown Began With Marketplace Listings
The CCPA’s wider investigation concerns walkie-talkies promoted online without the regulatory details a buyer needs before choosing a device. Its earlier actions focused heavily on e-commerce platforms carrying third-party listings. The Hogar case brings a company’s own product website into focus.
The distinction matters because an operating frequency is not just a product specification: it determines which rules apply to using the radio. The CCPA found that Hogar’s listings could leave prospective buyers believing they could operate a device without authorisation when that might not be the case.
No Online Checkout Does Not Remove the Duty to Inform
Hogar told the CCPA that it held a Dealer Possessing Licence and applicable Equipment Type Approval certifications. It also argued that its website was intended to generate enquiries, not complete online purchases.
The authority rejected both points as answers to the missing consumer disclosure. Holding approvals does not tell a buyer the conditions attached to a particular device. Nor does the absence of a shopping cart prevent a product page from functioning as an advertisement that influences a later purchase.
Policy Relevance
This order draws a clearer boundary around pre-purchase information for regulated goods. The disclosure issue follows the advertisement, whether it appears on a marketplace or the advertiser’s own site, and whether payment happens online or elsewhere. Firms selling such products need to make the applicable conditions intelligible to buyers, rather than treating regulatory approvals as information held only internally.
The cumulative penalties show that enforcement has moved beyond identifying listings to issuing orders against individual entities. They should not, however, be read as the final outcome of every case: some orders and proceedings are under challenge.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What information must appear on each walkie-talkie listing so a buyer can identify its operating frequency and understand any authorisation needed before deciding to purchase it?
Follow the Full Press Release and Earlier Coverage Here: CCPA’s Latest Walkie-Talkie Enforcement Update