Efforts by the Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to crack down on unlicensed radio operations have extended to Massachusetts.
In a series of Notices issued in June, the FCC has put three separate individuals on notice that their broadcast operations are a violation of Federal law, and that their failure to immediately cease operations could subject them to monetary penalties, equipment seizures and criminal sanctions, including imprisonment.
The Notices were in response to three separate investigation conducted in May and June by agents from the Enforcement Bureau’s Boston office, related to reports of unlicensed FM station broadcasts in Medford, Worcester and Springfield. In each instance, agents identified the locations of the broadcast using radio detection-finding techniques, and determined that operating licenses had not been issued for any of the identified locations. Two of the unlicensed broadcast operations were traced to residential addresses, while the third (the one in Medford) was traced to an Evangelical church.
The Notices are available through the FCC’s Daily Digest portal at:
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-345569A1.pdf
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-345571A1.pdf
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-345570A1.pdf
