The FCC upheld two pirate fines for $15,000 each.
The agency dismissed late petitions for reconsideration from Lloyd Morris and Robert Brown.
The agency had originally fined Morris and Brown in 2010 for operating “Datz Hits Radio” on 99.7 MHz in Boston.
They both told the FCC they didn’t respond to the original notice nor pay the fine because they couldn’t get advice on actions to take and how to file a response. The men say the station aimed at the Caribbean immigrant population living in the Boston area operates on the Internet only now.
Once public notice of action is released, petitions for reconsideration must be filed within 30 days. Morris and brown filed a day late and the FCC dismissed their petitions as untimely. The agency upheld the fine for both men, saying in its decision their explanation was not sufficient to excuse a late response to the original notice.
Morris and Brown broke the law by operating an unauthorized station despite repeated warnings and letters from the commission ordering them to stop, said the FCC, which found their actions particularly egregious.
That’s why the agency upheld the original $15,000 fines which are due within 30 days.
