The Bronx is New York City’s latest borough to draw the attention of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, which says an unlicensed FM radio station has been operating there on 91.3 MHz. With no license issued and no cooperation from the individuals behind the broadcasts, the FCC is now putting the pressure on the property owners.
Acting on a complaint, Region One agents conducted enforcement visits on February 5 and again on February 27. Using direction-finding techniques, they confirmed that the signal was coming from a residential property in the 10466 ZIP code on Hill Avenue. Property records list Ray Dolph Brown and Wilsonia Brown as the owners of the address.
After confirming that no license exists for a station on that frequency, the Commission issued a Notice of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting. That document warns the Browns that they could be held liable under Section 511(a) of the Communications Act if they knowingly allow unauthorized broadcasts to continue on their property.
The stakes are high: the Commission says the penalty could reach as much as $2,453,218 under the PIRATE Act. The FCC is giving the Browns ten business days from May 29 to prove the broadcasts have stopped and to name the individual or individuals responsible for the operation.
The notice was signed by FCC Region One Enforcement Bureau Director David C. Dombrowski.
