EAS, Nighttime Operation Fine Rescinded(2)

The FCC has cancelled a $12,000 fine originally levied against the former licensee of WBIC(AM), Royston, Ga., for failing to have working EAS equipment and not going off the air at night, and has instead admonished Lighthouse Broadcasting. The station is licensed for daytime-only at 230 Watts.
In 2002, a field agent monitored the station one night in 2002, and found it signed off the air, but continued to transmit an unmodulated carrier. During an inspection, the agent found the EAS encoder/decoder was not working.
Lighthouse owner Joseph Hood did not dispute the EAS violation, but had no paperwork on the unit indicating it had ever worked or was being repaired. Hood also said when the nighttime violations occurred, he was no longer operating the station, having leased it to Peachland Music.
Hood said a $12,000 fine would be a financial hardship, and produced tax returns showing he sold the station for substantially less than he paid for it two years ago. Because he is no longer a licensee, the FCC cancelled the fine.