Another station hit by FCC for late renewal

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WIPS-AM Ticonderoga NY failed to get its renewal application in on time in a case that hearkens back to 2/1/06. The resulting late fine was in the lighter class, but the station tried to wriggle out of it anyway. It didn’t duck the fine, but it did get a benefit.


The station’s licensee is Bisiblue LLC.

2/1/06 was the date the station’s license renewal application should have been at the FCC, four months ahead of its 6/1/06 license expiration date. Although it didn’t make that deadline, it did get its application in on 5/30/06, before the license expired.

Stations that miss the expiration date generally get nailed for a $7K fine, but the lighter penalty for less tardy licensees such as Bisiblue is usually $1.5K.

Bisiblue didn’t dispute the violation, but argued that the FCC fined it beyond the statute of limitations, because the forfeiture order came 11/27/07, more than a year beyond 5/30/06.

The FCC said all it had to do was get the penalty in before the beginning of the station’s next license cycle, which it says it did. However, it did grant Bisiblue a small discount of $300 for its general record of compliance. The new forfeiture order is for $1.2K.