FCC Fines Pirate Broadcaster

The FCC has issued a $15,000 notice of apparent liability to an unlicensed radio station operating on 91.9 MHz in Passaic, New Jersey. The operator of the station had previously been warned by the FCC that the station was illegal (a lot of good that did). However, the FCC used that unheeded warning to increase the base forfeiture of $10,000 to $15,000.

The FCC’s notice details repeated efforts by field office personnel to locate and measure the strength of the unlicensed radio transmissions and identify the responsible party. Those efforts began in 2012, and all efforts to have the responsible individual respond to demands to cease operation were unsuccessful.