The Federal Communications Commission is lowering the hammer a trio of alleged pirate radio operators in New York and Massachusetts as it finalizes $60,000 in fines against them. Two of the operators never responded to the allegations against them, while a third admitted running a pirate station but asked for leniency after promising to stay off the air. The FCC wasn’t persuaded.
In three forfeiture orders released Thursday (Oct. 22), the Enforcement Bureau affirmed $20,000 penalties against Etzer Toussaint of Spring Valley, NY; Henderson Lennox Elcock of Brooklyn, NY; and Shane Kelly of Hyannis, MA. All three had previously been accused of operating unauthorized FM stations, and the FCC concluded there was no reason to reduce or cancel their penalties.
The most unusual case involves Kelly, who admitted operating an unlicensed station called “The Test” on 87.9 FM from his home in Hyannis. FCC field agents traced the signal to his Lincoln Road residence in June 2023, where measurements showed the station was operating above the limits permitted for unlicensed transmissions…