FCC Warns Three Property Owners Over Pirate Radio Ops

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, June 13, 2025 | 2:29pm CT

Federal Communications Commission's (FCC)

The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Enforcement Bureau has issued formal warnings to three property owners in New York and New Jersey for allegedly permitting illegal pirate radio broadcasting from their premises. Each notice threatens potential fines of up to $2.45 million if the unauthorized broadcasts continue.

DRSD Management Corp., owner of the property at 130 NY-59 in Spring Valley, received a Notice of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting after FCC agents traced an unlicensed FM station operating on 88.9 MHz to the location. The unauthorized broadcasts were confirmed on January 14, 2025. The FCC determined the station did not fall under any legal low-power exemptions and was in violation of the Communications Act.

A separate notice was issued to 141 Coit Street LLC, which owns the property at 1138 Grove Street in Irvington. FCC agents using direction-finding techniques located an unlicensed FM station broadcasting on 90.9 MHz on January 14 and again on January 31, 2025. The Commission's records show no license was issued for a station at that frequency from this location.

An additional notice was served to the owner or manager of a property at 402 South Orange Avenue in Newark, following detection of an unlicensed FM station operating on 90.5 MHz. This case was assigned number EB-FIELDNER-24-00036003, but details such as the ownership entity were not explicitly listed in the FCC's letter.

In each notice, the FCC cited Section 511(a) of the Communications Act, which allows the Commission to impose fines of up to $2,453,218 on property owners who "willfully and knowingly" permit pirate radio operations on their property.

The property owners have ten business days from the date of the notice to respond with evidence that pirate radio broadcasting has ceased. They are also asked to identify any individuals responsible for the unauthorized transmissions.

David C. Dombrowski, Regional Director of FCC Region One, signed all three notices, stating that failure to respond could establish sufficient legal grounds for the FCC to proceed with enforcement actions and financial penalties.