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 NEWS  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.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 --  DRAFT  – 
 FEDERAL  DISTRICT  COURT  ORDERS  CIVIL  JUDGMENT  AGAINST  RICHARD  I.  ROWLAND  FOR  UNLICENSED  RADIO  OPERATION 
 Washington,  D.  C.  -  Today,  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  (FCC)  announced  that,  in  the  United  States  Middle  District  of  Florida,  Orlando  Division,  United  States  District  Judge, 
 Honorable  Gregory  A.  Presnell,  granted  judgment  in  favor  of  the  United  States  to  collect  a  civil  penalty  against  Defendant  Richard  I.  Rowland.  The  court  ordered  judgment  against  Rowland  in  the 
 amount  of  $10,000  plus  costs. 
 The  judgment  is  the  result  of  an  investigation  that  began  in  May  of  2000.  The  Commission’s  Tampa,  Florida  Field  Office  received  a  complaint  of  an  unlicensed  broadcast  station 
 operating  in  the  Longwood,  Florida  area.  Commission  agents  determined  that  Rowland  operated  an  unlicensed  radio  station  on  the  frequency  97.1  MHz  from  a  Longwood,  Florida  address  on 
 numerous  dates  in  the  year  2000.  Rowland’s  unlicensed  radio  operation  led  to  the  seizure  by  U.  S.  Marshals  and  Commission  agents  of  his  radio  station  equipment  in  2001.  In  addition,  the 
 Enforcement  Bureau  imposed  a  $10,000  monetary  forfeiture  on  Rowland  for  multiple  violations  of  operating  an  unlicensed  FM  radio  facility,  in  violation  of  Title  47,  United  States  Code,  Section  301. 
 After  Rowland  refused  to  pay  the  forfeiture,  the  Commission  filed  suit  for  collection  through  the  United  States  Attorney  in  federal  district  court.  The  case  was  brought  by  the  United  States 
 Attorney’s  Office,  Middle  District  of  Florida,  Orlando  Division. 
 The  operation  of  an  unlicensed  broadcast  station  is  a  violation  of  Section  301  of  the  Communications  Act  of  1934,  as  amended.  Operators  of  unlicensed  stations  may  be  subject  to  civil 
 monetary  forfeitures  of  up  to  $11,000  per  single  violation  or  per  day  of  a  continuing  violation  not  to  exceed  $87,500  for  continuing  violations.  In  addition,  unlicensed  operators  may  be  subject  to 
 criminal  sanctions,  including  a  maximum  $10,000  fine  and  up  to  one  year  imprisonment  for  a  first  offense. 


 -  FCC  - 
 Enforcement  Bureau  Contact:  Lisa  M.  Fowlkes  at  (202)  418-  7450  /  TTY  1(  888)  835-  5322 


 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  July  15,  2003  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  David  Fiske  (202)  418-  0500 
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