The FCC is going after property owners who let pirate radio operators transmit from their sites. Following a complaint, the Columbia, MD field office of the Enforcement Bureau investigated the owner of a shipping company in Baltimore, MD. The agents used direction-finding techniques to confirm an unlicensed FM station was operating on 90.3 MHz in Baltimore.
Publicly available records show LPK Shipping owns the property and the agency confirmed it has no licenses for an FM at a location on Park Heights Avenue. The bureau notified owner Sharif Small that it’s illegal to operate an unlicensed station.
In a Notice of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting, the bureau told Small “persons or entities found to willfully and knowingly suffer (i.e., permit) a third party to engage in so-called ‘pirate radio’ broadcasting on their property can face significant financial penalties.” The FCC notified him the FCC may issue a fine of up to $2 million if it determines he’s guilty.
If Small doesn’t respond to the notice, the agency told him it has enough evidence to support an enforcement action against him for allowing a pirate radio station to operate on his property. “Service of this Notice to you or your agent establishes the foundation, along with other evidence, that could lead to significant financial penalties,” says the agency in the notice.
Small has 10 days to respond and to provide evidence he’s no longer allowing pirate broadcasting to occur at the Park Heights Ave property. The bureau also wants him to identify the people who are operating the unlicensed and illegal station.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
Reader Interactions