Articles Posted in

Published on:

By and

Pillsbury’s communications lawyers have published the FCC Enforcement Monitor monthly since 1999 to inform our clients of notable FCC enforcement actions against FCC license holders and others.  This month’s issue includes:

  • CB Radio Operator’s Transmission of Indecipherable Sound Effects Leads to $25,000 Fine
  • Low Power FM Radio Licensee Enters Consent Decree Over Airing of Commercials
  • Interfering Bluetooth Speaker Leads FCC Field Agents to Florida Spa

Unauthorized CB Radio Use Results in $25,000 Fine

An Illinois Citizens Band Radio Service (CB) operator was fined $25,000 for engaging in unauthorized operation of a CB radio and willfully or maliciously causing interference.  Operating a CB radio no longer requires an FCC license, but its operation must still comply with all FCC rules.  Among the activities that are generally prohibited are transmission of one-way verbal communications, music and sound effects, and conversations longer than five minutes.

Section 95.933 of the FCC’s Rules also prohibits CB transmissions that include advertising for political candidates or for goods or services, and also prohibits transmitting live radio or TV broadcasts.  In this case, the violator transmitted nonverbal, indecipherable sound effects for long periods of time.  The resulting Forfeiture Order noted that unauthorized CB operations disrupt proper CB uses like “travelers’ assistance, warnings of hazardous road conditions, reporting accidents, etc.”

In the Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) that preceded the Forfeiture Order, the FCC detailed the relevant facts, including complaints of transmissions of comedy routines, air raid siren sounds, and digital noises.  A visit to the area by an FCC field agent determined that unintelligible, data-like noises were coming from an antenna on the violator’s home.  The individual failed to respond to an on-scene Notice of Interference to Authorized Radio Stations left by the agent.  After subsequently receiving a Notice of Unlicensed Operation, the individual spoke with the regional office of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and claimed that a battery-operated transmitter inside a milk crate had been placed at a corner near his house.  He failed, however, to submit any documentation corroborating the existence of such a device.  On a second visit to the area, the field agent observed a data-like transmission similar to what was observed during the initial site visit but did not observe a transmitting milk crate.

The 2023 NAL described the individual’s history of non-compliance with FCC rules dating back to 1999, including his failure to pay a previous $14,000 fine.  The individual did not respond to the NAL, so the FCC proceeded to issuing a fine.

The FCC’s base fine for each day of unauthorized operation is $10,000, and for each day of interference is $7,000.  The Enforcement Bureau determined that the violations occurred on two days and assessed a fine of $25,000, the highest total fine the Enforcement Bureau is allowed to fine a non-common carrier under its delegated authority.  The individual has 30 days to pay the $25,000 fine, which will be made slightly more difficult by the fact that the FCC limits credit card payments to the agency to $24,999.99.

Low Power FM Station Signs Consent Decree Over Underwriting Violations

A Virginia low power FM (LPFM) radio licensee entered into a Consent Decree with the FCC to resolve issues related to airing commercial advertising.  The LPFM station’s license renewal application drew a Petition to Deny and informal objection making a number of allegations, including that the station participated in a prohibited operating agreement with other parties in violation of Section 73.860(e) of the FCC’s Rules, deviated from the educational purpose stated in the station’s initial construction permit (CP) application, made false certifications in the CP application, and regularly aired commercial announcements in violation of Section 399B of the Communications Act and Sections 73.503(d) and 73.801 of the FCC’s Rules. Continue reading →

Published on:

By and

Broadcasters’ next Quarterly Issues/Programs List (“Quarterly List”) must be placed in stations’ Public Inspection Files by July 10, 2025, reflecting information for the months of April, May, and June 2025.

Content of the Quarterly List

The FCC requires each broadcast station to air a reasonable amount of programming responsive to significant community needs, issues, and problems as determined by the station.  The FCC gives each station the discretion to determine which issues facing the community served by the station are the most significant and how best to respond to them in the station’s overall programming.

To demonstrate a station’s compliance with this public interest obligation, the FCC requires the station to maintain and place in the Public Inspection File a Quarterly List reflecting the “station’s most significant programming treatment of community issues during the preceding three month period.”  By its use of the term “most significant,” the FCC has noted that stations are not required to list all responsive programming, but only that programming which provided the most significant treatment of the issues identified.

Given that program logs are no longer mandated by the FCC, the Quarterly Lists may be the most important evidence of a station’s compliance with its public service obligations.  The lists also provide important support for the certification of Class A television station compliance discussed below.  We therefore urge stations not to “skimp” on the Quarterly Lists, and to err on the side of over-inclusiveness.  Otherwise, stations risk a determination by the FCC that they did not adequately serve the public interest during their license term.  Stations should include in the Quarterly Lists as much issue-responsive programming as they feel is necessary to demonstrate fully their responsiveness to community needs.  Taking extra time now to provide a thorough Quarterly List will help reduce risk at license renewal time.

The FCC has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the Quarterly Lists and often brings enforcement actions against stations that do not have complete Quarterly Lists in their Public Inspection File or which have failed to timely upload such lists when due.  The FCC’s base fine for missing or late Quarterly Lists is $10,000.

Preparation of the Quarterly List

The Quarterly Lists are required to be placed in the Public Inspection File by January 10, April 10, July 10, and October 10 of each year.  The next Quarterly List is required to be placed in stations’ Public Inspection Files by July 10, 2025, covering the period from April 1, 2025 through June 30, 2025. Continue reading →

Published on:

By and

With publication of OMB approval in the Federal Register, today was the effective date for amendments to Section 73.1212(j) of the FCC’s Rules, which governs sponsorship identification for broadcast programming that “has been provided by a foreign governmental entity.”  Under those amendments, broadcast licensees would need to use one of two recordkeeping methods to demonstrate compliance with the foreign sponsorship disclosure rules.

Late today, however, the FCC’s Media Bureau released a Public Notice stating:

By this Public Notice, the Bureau announces that OMB has approved the rule modifications which revise requirements under 47 CFR § 73.1212(j)(3).  Accordingly, these revised requirements are now effective as of June 10, 2025.  However, the Bureau defers requiring compliance with the revised rules under 47 CFR § 73.1212(j)(3) until 6 months after June 10, 2025, or December 8, 2025. Only new leases and renewals of existing leases entered into on or after the compliance date must comply with the rule modifications.

So while the amended rules did go into effect today, broadcasters won’t need to come into compliance with the new recordkeeping requirements until December 8, 2025.  Until that time, you can read a detailed description of how the currently applicable pre-amendment rule works here.

Hopefully, today’s announced delay is a cause for optimism that a deregulatory FCC might use the additional time to streamline these cumbersome requirements.  If not, however, on December 8, 2025, stations will need to maintain records verifying whether a party leasing airtime is a “foreign governmental entity” for purposes of providing adequate disclosures through one of the following two recordkeeping methods:

Certification Approach

Stations and lessees of airtime must each complete a written certification reflecting that the station made the required inquiries regarding foreign governmental sponsorship.  Parties may use the FCC’s own “check-box” templates (Appendices C and D to the FCC’s Order), or create their own certification forms, provided that the forms collectively address the following required certifications:

  • Whether the licensee informed the airtime lessee of the foreign sponsorship disclosure requirement;
  • Whether the licensee asked about, and whether the lessee is, a “foreign governmental entity,” which includes foreign governments, foreign political parties, agents of foreign principals (as defined by the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA), and U.S.-based foreign media outlets;
  • Whether the licensee asked about, and whether the lessee knows of, any entity or individual further back in the production or distribution chain that meets the definition of a foreign governmental entity and has provided some form of inducement to air the programming;
  • Whether the licensee sought a written certification from the lessee certifying lessee’s answers; and
  • Whether the licensee obtained the necessary information for a disclosure where one is required.

These certifications must be dated and signed by an appropriate representative of each party and retained in the licensee’s records as discussed below.

Screenshot Approach

As an alternative to certifications, licensees may ask lessees to provide screenshots of their search results when searching for themselves in the following two federal databases:

This option places the responsibility for conducting the searches on the lessee and, the FCC believes, avoids triggering the investigatory concerns raised by the D.C. Circuit. Licensees must still conduct and document the same underlying foreign sponsorship inquiries (but without need of written certifications) and retain the lessee responses in their records.

Regardless of which approach a station adopts by December 8, it must retain documentation of its diligence efforts—whether certifications or screenshots—for the remainder of the license term or one year, whichever is longer.  The records may be stored in either the licensee’s Public Inspection File or in its internal files, as long as the documents are promptly made available to the FCC upon request.