*Pages 1--2 from  Microsoft Word - 17129*
 NEWS  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F.  2d  385  (D.  C.  Cir.  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  April  25,  2002  John  Winston  (202)  418-  7450 
 jwinston@  fcc.  gov 


 FCC  PROPOSES  FINES  TOTALING  $264,000  AGAINST  AT&  T  WIRELESS  AND  SPECTRASITE  COMMUNICATIONS  FOR  MULTIPLE 
 ANTENNA  STRUCTURE  VIOLATIONS 


 Washington,  D.  C.—  Today,  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  released  Notices  of  Apparent  Liability  to  AT&  T  Wireless  Services,  Inc.,  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  SpectraSite 
 Communications,  Inc.,  Cary,  North  Carolina,  for  multiple  safety-  related  violations  of  the  Communications  Act  and  the  Commission’s  antenna  structure  rules.  Included  among  the 
 violations  are  failure  to  register,  light,  and  paint  antenna  structures,  and  failure  to  replace  lights  or  repair  lighting  failure  alarm  systems  as  soon  as  practicable. 


 These  actions  follow  routine  antenna  structure  inspections  and  related  investigations  conducted  by  Commission  field  offices  throughout  the  country,  some  of  which  began  with  Federal  Aviation 
 Administration  complaints  about  antenna  structure  light  outages.  The  Commission  proposes  a  $153,000  monetary  forfeiture  against  AT&  T  Wireless  Services,  Inc.  for  nine  violations  and  an 
 $111,000  monetary  forfeiture  against  SpectraSite  Communications,  Inc.  for  six  violations  of  Section  303(  q)  of  the  Communications  Act  and  Part  17  of  the  Commission’s  rules,  as  indicated 
 above.  The  Commission  arrived  at  the  monetary  forfeiture  amount  after  considering  the  seriousness  of  the  safety-  related  violations  and  each  company’s  prior  history  of  antenna  structure 
 rules  violations. 
 For  more  information  about  the  Commission’s  antenna  structure  enforcement,  including  other  cases,  follow  this  link:  www.  fcc.  gov/  eb/  broadcast/  asml.  html 


 Action  by  the  Commission:  Chairman  Powell,  Commissioner  Abernathy  (issuing  a  separate  statement),  Commissioner  Copps,  and  Commissioner  Martin. 
 AT&  T  Wireless  Services,  Inc.,  FCC  02-  125  (April  18,  2002) 
 SpectraSite  Communications,  Inc.,  FCC  02-  124  (April  18,  2002) 
 Enforcement  Bureau  Contacts:  John  R.  Winston  and  Lisa  M.  Fowlkes  at  (202)  418-  7450. 
1
 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  KATHLEEN  ABERNATHY 
 In  re:  SpectraSite  Communications  Inc.  –  Notice  of  Apparent  Liability  for  Forfeiture;  AT&  T  Wireless  Services  Inc.  –  Notice  of  Apparent  Liability  for  Forfeiture 
 I  support  today’s  decisions  to  render  substantial  notices  of  apparent  liability  against  wireless  tower  owners  who  have  violated  our  tower  marking  and  lighting  requirements.  I  write 
 separately  to  call  attention  to  the  excellent  and  important  work  of  our  field  offices  in  these  stepped  up  enforcement  efforts. 


 Our  field  agents  are  our  grass  roots  front  line  of  defense  against  unlawful  spectrum  and  tower  safety  practices.  As  a  federal  regulatory  agency,  we  necessarily  operate  with  most  of  our 
 personnel  in  Washington  DC.  However,  for  most  Americans,  the  FCC  they  see  and  hear  and  call  upon  for  help  work  in  the  dozens  of  field  offices  the  Commission  operates  around  the  country. 
 The  Commission  has  unique  responsibilities  for  enforcement  of  interference  rules,  tower  safety,  and  unlicensed  radio  operations,  among  others.  These  NALs  are  one  indication  of  this  important 
 work.  In  three  regional  offices  and  twenty  five  field  offices  round  the  country,  109  agents  with  extensive  technical  and  enforcement  expertise  work  tirelessly  for  a  fraction  of  what  they  could 
 earn  in  the  private  sector.  Since  January  2001  in  the  tower  safety  area  alone,  field  agents  have  been  integral  in  issuing  37  Commission  and/  or  Enforcement  Bureau  NALs,  forfeiture  orders  and 
 consent  decrees  totaling  well  over  $600,000.  Unfortunately,  at  times,  the  fine  efforts  of  the  field  offices  do  not  receive  the  recognition  they  deserve.  I  write  separately  in  an  effort  to  close  this 
 gap. 
2