The Sea Lounge Bar & Restaurant in Mount Vernon, N.Y., boasts a cozy spot to play checkers and chow down on curry shrimp, but it’s also now playing a role in a pirate radio investigation.
Agents from the New York Enforcement Bureau received a complaint of an unlicensed FM station operating at the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant identified George Brown of Mount Vernon as the operator of the station; a search through Federal Communications Commission files found no license issued for 104.5 MHz at this locale.
On June 6, field agents warned Brown with a Notice of Unlicensed Operation that operating radio transmitting equipment without a valid license could subject him to severe penalties, which could include monetary fines, confiscation of radio equipment and possible arrest. The field strength levels that the agents recorded were 1,734 microvolts per meter (µV/m) at 1079.08 meters; this significantly exceeds the maximum level of 250 µV/m at 3 meters for nonlicensed devices.
The commission gave Brown 10 days to respond with any proof of a license or evidence that he has authority to operate a station.
