Re: WEGQ,Sean Mooney, FCC rules on dark stations

[Dan Strassberg <dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net>]

At 03:46 AM 4/29/97 +0000, you wrote:

>What I'd like to know is how long a station has to be back on the air
>before it can go off again and start a new year running.  I suppose that
>if WRPT or WJLT had returned to the air for a few hours on 9 February,
>then gone off again, it wouldn't have been enough?  So can they go off now
>and be safe for another year? 
>
Peter George says no. He said that the FCC has specific rules on this
subject and that the formerly silent station must actually provide a
meaningful service on a continuing basis to be deemed to have complied with
the law. Of course, "meaningful service" and "continuing basis" are not what
one would call very specific. However, I have read about stations outside
New England that did exactly what you suggested--returned to the air for a
few hours just before the deadline and went silent again, and I don't know
whether the FCC has tried to pull their licenses. My impression is that only
stations that made no attempt to return to the air have had their licenses
pulled.

- -------------------------------
Dan Strassberg (Note: Address is CASE SENSITIVE!)
ALL _LOWER_ CASE!!!--> dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net
(617) 558-4205; Fax (617) 928-4205

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