first on decorahnews.com: FCC reduces the fines levied against KVIK, KNEI and KHPP

KVIK Radio of Decorah and KNEI and KHPP Radio of Waukon have gotten some good news from the Federal Communications Commission.  The FCC in March of 2007 fined each of the radio stations $7,000 for allegedly forgetting to file license renewal applications in 2004.  Officials at Wennes Communications, which owns the three radio stations, filed an appeal of the F.C.C. rulings. 

Now in 2010--nearly five and a half years after the filing deadline--the F.C.C. says it has found the license renewal applications.  States the agency, "the original application was filed on September 30th, 2004--prior to the required filing date."  However, the agency also adds, "Wennes acknowledges, however, that it did not properly tender the requisite filing fee with its September 30th submission."

Because of the new information, the F.C.C. has agreed to drop the $7,000 fines against each of the three radio stations, but has also imposed a 25 percent penalty on each of the license renewal fees.  Still, that penalty comes to less than $600, rather than the $21,000 in fines the F.C.C. originally imposed.

The F.C.C. originally threatened to shut down all three radio stations when it couldn't find the license renewal applications, but KVIK, KNEI and KHPP have received temporary operating authority while the issue was being resolved.  Now that the radio stations will pay the smaller fine, the F.C.C. is considering the matter closed--and the three radio stations no longer face any problem with their licensing.