Not letting an FCC inspector into your station can cost you real money.
The FCC re-affirmed an earlier decision and upheld a more than $89,000 fine against the licensee of a Philadelphia television station for not letting FCC inspectors in multiple times, as well as not maintaining a fully staffed main studio and operating its transmitter from the wrong location.
D.T.V., LLC is the licensee of WPHA-CD. Personnel twice denied FCC agents entry because of “medical considerations” and “miscommunication,” and the owner asked the commission to either cancel or reduce the fine.
The commission says the manager literally left the agents at the gate, telling them he had a medial appoint and had to leave and no one else was staffing the main studio to let them in.
The agents figured out D.T.V. operated the tower 0.2 miles from the location listed in the agency database for some 8 years. The licensee also tells the agency its unauthorized transmitter operation was not its fault, that the company relied on the tower site owner to make sure they were in compliance.
The commission says it’s the licensee’s responsibility alone.
DTV claimed it doesn’t have enough money to pay the penalty, yet it didn’t provide any financial information from the owner to back-up this claim, which was denied.
In fact, the agency denied all of D.T.V.’s arguments and wants the money sent to the U.S. Treasury within 30 days.
