The FCC issued a Notice of Unlicensed Operations to a property owner in Maplewood, New Jersey (outside of Newark) for an unlicensed FM broadcast station operating on frequency 91.7 FM.
In the notice, the FCC stated that under the PIRATE Act, property owners can be liable if they allow unlicensed stations to operate on their property. The FCC stated:
“Under section 511(a) of the Act, 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. Accordingly, you are hereby notified and warned that the FCC may issue a fine of up to $2,391,097 if, following the response period set forth below, we determine that you have continued to permit any individual or entity to engage in pirate radio broadcasting from the property that you own or manage.”
The notice gives the property owner 10 days to respond. We applaud the FCC’s continued efforts to eliminate the number of illegal “pirate” radio stations.
You can see the FCC’s notice here.