The FCC fined Pierre Nixon Jean $15,000 for operating an unauthorized station on 92.5 MHz in West Palm Beach, Fla.
This February, FCC agents traced the source of unauthorized RF transmissions to an antenna mounted on the roof of an apartment building in West Palm Beach. Agents heard the station identify itself on the air as “Exitfm.com.”
They also found an Internet site (now removed) for the station that showed a photo of Jean as a DJ and identified him as the station owner.
Agents from the Miami office of the Enforcement Bureau learned from the building owner that Jean rented an apartment in the building from 2010 until March of this year and the owner identified Jean from a photograph.
The building owner also told agents he had seen RF transmitting equipment inside the unit and told Jean to remove the gear after speaking to the FCC agents. The Enforcement Bureau confirmed the antenna was removed in May.
In its decision this week, the FCC said Jean has no license for the station and was operating the facility illegally. The agency bumped up the fine another $5,000, to $15,000, because the FCC had previously warned Jean that operating a pirate station was against the law. He was transmitting unlawfully on the same frequency from another location in 2010, according to the agency.
The fact that he continued to operate illegally “demonstrates a deliberate disregard” for the commission’s rules, stated the agency in its decision.
Jean has 30 days to pay or appeal the fine.
