The FCC says an LPFM hopeful failed to respond “fully and accurately” to a request for more information, so it has dismissed its application for a station in Hudson, Fla.
The commission rejected the application from Money Matters Educational Inc. (MME). The FCC found its response to be “problematic, incomplete and uncredible.”
MME had applied in the 2023 LPFM filing window, but its paperwork drew scrutiny for several errors and omissions.
The FCC questioned the location of the proposed main studio and whether its board members resided within the required distance. Board members must live within 10 miles of the proposed antenna site, according to FCC rules.
On its application, MME listed Hamon Francis Fytton as sole director. Yet Florida law requires not-for-profit corporations to have a minimum of three directors, according to the FCC. In addition, the entity’s Articles of Incorporation list three other individuals as directors: Kirby Julian, Ruben Alcoba and Luis Villa.
“None of these three individuals is included as a party to the LPFM application,” the FCC wrote in its dismissal.
In November 2024, the FCC sent a letter of inquiry seeking additional information, including confirmation of MME’s directors, notarized declarations from each individual attesting that they authorized the filing of the application and copies of each individual’s driver’s license.
The FCC says MME responded and provided some but not all of the information.
MME told the FCC it had permission to use space in an office building at the address on the application “as the main studio, headquarters and transmitter site for the proposed station.” However, it failed to provide written confirmation from the building owner, only promising to send confirmation later, which it never did, according to the FCC.
As for providing identification of the directors of the corporation, MME’s response included a copy of Fytton’s license, the FCC said, but not for the others in question.
In fact, as MME’s response explained, Kirby Julian had died nearly a month before the filing of the application.
“The LOI response further states that Luis Vila is no longer associated […] with MME, and that Ruben Alcoba was travelling out of the country and unavailable at the time of the response,” according to the FCC.
MME stated that copies of identification for “Kirby Julian and Luis Vila would not be forthcoming,” but that a driver’s license for Ruben Alcoba would be supplied “after his return from travel.” The Audio Division said it never received a further filing.
In addition, the driver’s license for Fytton indicated he resides in Fort Pierce, Fla., about 150 miles from the proposed community of license. And in their response to the letter of inquiry, officials provided a different address for Fytton in Melbourne, outside the residential requirements.
With those strikes against MME, the FCC stated it had no option but to reject the LPFM application.
“In this case, MME has failed to respond timely to the Audio Division’s request for necessary information,” wrote Albert Shuldiner, chief of the Audio Division. “The failure to comply therefore renders the application defective.”
The FCC has dismissed several other LPFM applications recently for various reasons.
