The FCC and Michael Glass, licensee of WMER(AM), Meridian, Miss., have reached an agreement about his license renewal and an outstanding fine.
His case goes back to 2008. That’s when the Enforcement Bureau originally proposed a $16,000 fine against the licensee for not having operational EAS equipment, not operating within the station’s power limits and having no license for the station’s STL.
The commission knocked down the fine to $1,500 once Glass submitted the proper paperwork to prove such a large amount would be a financial hardship.
But when the agency was reviewing his application for license renewal, the Media Bureau noticed that he never paid up. Then, the U.S. Attorneys’ Office declined to collect based on the monetary amount, so the commission eventually cancelled the unpaid fine.
The FCC still believes Glass has the qualifications to be a licensee, so in order to clear the way for the renewal, Glass and the FCC came to an agreement. According to the consent decree, the case against Glass ends and he admits no guilt. In exchange, he agrees to make a “voluntary” $1,500 payment to the U.S. Treasury within 30 days and for three years Glass submits compliance reports to the commission. His license will be renewed once the payment is made.
