There’s something more than pupusas, Mojarra Frita and baleadas attracting Latinos who travel U.S. 60 near Busch Gardens and the sprawling Yorktown Naval Weapons Station to the north of Newport News, Va. You can’t find it on the menu, but one could certainly find it on an FM radio earlier this year.
That would be a unlicensed FM radio station using 99.5 MHz from a transmitter at none other than Mi Casa Latin Restaurant on Pocahontas Trail in Williamsburg, Va.
The pirate radio broadcasts attracted the Columbia, Md., office of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, which drove down to Hampton Roads and verified the elicit transmissions during two field investigations, one on April 1 and another on July 17.
The restaurant is owned by PNK Inc., and under the PIRATE Act property owners of structures found to be the originating point of unlicensed FM or AM radio signals are liable and could face fines of up to $2.45 million under Congressional authority.
PNK Inc. has 10 business days from the date on the Notice of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting to provide evidence that the unauthorized broadcasting has ceased and to identify the parties responsible. If no response is received, the FCC may proceed with enforcement action and financial penalties.
While Hispanic population growth in Virginia has risen substantially over the last decade, and just one AM in Norfolk caters to the Spanish dominant consumer, it remains impermissible to broadcast on either the AM or FM band without a FCC-granted license.
— With reporting by Cameron Coats
