The Federal Communications Commission has levied its first-ever fine on a
violator of its RFR (radio frequency radiation) exposure limits.
It has fined KTMN-FM Cloudercraft, N.M., $10,000 for violating limits on
tower-based transmitters, as well as an additional $18,000 for other violations.
The station's transmitting antenna, mounted on a park service observation
tower, was lower than authorized and, at only 40 percent of its authorized
power, created fields that exceeded radiation limits by more than 300 percent,
according to the FCC.
The rules have been around "a long time," but stations have always gotten off
with a warning, FCC Enforcement Bureau chief John Winston said, but that was for
apparent accidental violations. This, he added, appeared to be otherwise.
It was also a particularly egregious case because of the extent to which the
exposure exceeded the limits. The station was also fined $8,000 for failing to
install emergency-alert equipment, $7,000 for failure to have a main studio and
another $3,000 for "failure to have adequate transmission
control."
