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Steve Lee, FCC Integrity

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First Fone 65

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Steve Lee of the local FCC office is beyond reproach, having personally shut down many Broadcast Pirates, and others in the Houston area and South Texas who would jam & interfere with legitimate licensed radio operations, He is not "Elliot Ness" the legionary Federal Booze buster who busted up stills in the roaring 20s, He must un like Ness get permission from the bureaucrats in DC for just about every thing He does and play the " May I " game. and any one who would suggest his motivates are any thing but above board, does not know Steve Lee or what they are talking about, as the Houston FCC office takes its place in history, Steve Lee rides off into the sun set on a white horse in my book.
 
First Fone 65 said:
Steve Lee of the local FCC office is beyond reproach, having personally shut down many Broadcast Pirates, and others in the Houston area and South Texas who would jam & interfere with legitimate licensed radio operations, He is not "Elliot Ness" the legionary Federal Booze buster who busted up stills in the roaring 20s, He must un like Ness get permission from the bureaucrats in DC for just about every thing He does and play the " May I " game. and any one who would suggest his motivates are any thing but above board, does not know Steve Lee or what they are talking about, as the Houston FCC office takes its place in history, Steve Lee rides off into the sun set on a white horse in my book.
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I've known Steve for over 45 years since high school! His mother sold at 1340 Port Arthur back in the sixties and seventies. Back in the nineties comma Steve called me while I was at Gulf States Utilities in Conroe and asked me if I was still involved in ham radio and repeaters. Then he asked me if I knew anybody using 431 megahertz. I told him no but was kind of curious and he said he couldn't tell me but if I heard anything down there it would go away by Monday. The next day Friday Air Force One landed at IAH. Over lunch many years later Steve and I joke that I helped coordinate the Secret Service!! Yes he has to talk to his superiors first. In fact an AM here in Beaumont is still outstanding on a local studio fine. Steve also wanted to fine them for tower lights violation but his superiors held that one up as well
 
The FCC was plaing to close the Houston FCC office not sure if they have closed it yet
 
First Fone 65 said:
Steve Lee of the local FCC office is beyond reproach, having personally shut down many Broadcast Pirates, and others in the Houston area and South Texas who would jam & interfere with legitimate licensed radio operations.
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If all this is true, how do you explain the situation with Joe Donalson, who is currently operating an unlicensed, pirate radio station on 87.9 MHz (FM Channel 200)? Or are you suggesting that Mr. Lee would only intervene if Joe were interfering with legitimate, licensed radio operation, and would otherwise simply not enforce the law.
 
robertsez said:
If all this is true, how do you explain the situation with Joe Donalson, who is currently operating an unlicensed, pirate radio station on 87.9 MHz (FM Channel 200)? Or are you suggesting that Mr. Lee would only intervene if Joe were interfering with legitimate, licensed radio operation, and would otherwise simply not enforce the law.
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Mr Lee does not "intervene". He would, following procedures, document any irregularities he detected and seek instructions. If not the product of a local "discovery" he would get instructions from his supervisors to take actions.
 
DavidEduardo said:


Mr Lee does not "intervene". He would, following procedures, document any irregularities he detected and seek instructions. If not the product of a local "discovery" he would get instructions from his supervisors to take actions.
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What does that mean? Either there's a violation or there's no violation. Either Joe is receiving "other benefits" in exchange for withdrawing his Informal to the KUHA transfer, or he isn't receiving other benefits. Either he has a license to broadcast on 87.9, or he is an unlicensed pirate broadcaster.

The above sounds like doublespeak.
 
Robert, You should Ask Steve Lee Your enforcement question, FCC Washington apparently doesn't think Joe is a problem ? that needs enforcement action at this time , all of the action Steve Lee and the FCC have taken against pirate stations has taken years, and The Austin pirate is still on the air last I heard, Mr Lee has been up there numerous times, the FCC has issued citations and forfeiture notices and they are still on the air almost four ? years later.Just like a certain station owner we all know and love ? still has a license for all his stations that have not been on the air in years waiting for a mullet to buy them. Robert, You can file a petition directly with the FCC on line to speed up the process if you like, but You can walk to DC and back many times before they take any action if they ever do. Been there done that.

If ole Joe was interfering with Houston flight services at the local air ports, action would most likely have been taken by now. and Ole Joe would be off the air. interference to Public safety services is about the only thing that gets the pulse rate up at the FCC.
 
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First Fone 65 said:
Robert, You should Ask Steve Lee Your enforcement question,
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I have, Joe. About the time you started announcing you had anonymous money flooding to, or through, St. Louis, he fell silent. Not saying there's any connection there, and I never have. There could be lots of explanations for this, including he may no longer want to buy into your continuing drama, or he may be concerned that you are stalking him at Waffle House with posted images of you with your tongue hanging out of the side of your mouth, drooling. But again, there may be nothing to that, either. You may have just been hungry. Or was looking at a picture of your idol.
 
robertsez said:
What does that mean? Either there's a violation or there's no violation. Either Joe is receiving "other benefits" in exchange for withdrawing his Informal to the KUHA transfer, or he isn't receiving other benefits. Either he has a license to broadcast on 87.9, or he is an unlicensed pirate broadcaster.

The above sounds like doublespeak.
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There is no difference in what a field engineer does and what a police detective does: they find evidence, and then present it to those who decide if there is cause to take action, issue a warrant or convene a grand jury (for example). The field engineer does not decide cases not take action without orders "from above".
 
DavidEduardo said:


There is no difference in what a field engineer does and what a police detective does: they find evidence, and then present it to those who decide if there is cause to take action, issue a warrant or convene a grand jury (for example). The field engineer does not decide cases not take action without orders "from above".
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So, if a police detective walks into a bank robbery in progress, he can't draw his service revolver or take ny other action to enforce the law without first contacting his superiors for instructions?

Now I understand. Thank you for clearing that up.
 
The FCC is not the Radio Gestapo, they can't just show up and shut down a transmitter without due process. They can make demands until they are blue in the face but they have no actual power to bring you down until they get authorization to do so later down the road. Think of the FCC more as your city code enforcement division, they can't do anything but their co-workers at PD sure can. This all considering I understand FCC process correctly, I believe they need a warrant to actually forcefully take a station off.
 
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Your are correct, it's like taking a case to the DA to see if they will accept the charges. and often the DA will not depending on merits of the case and other factors.
 
There is a TV commercial running now that shows a security guard refusing to take action because His job is to report a bank robbery not take action to stop it.
But Robert there is no comparison to what You are saying, A Police officer can and will take action to stop or prevent a life threating crime in progress, Jay walking is against the law too but they only issue a ticket, same for shop lifting in some cases, And I am sure if the FCC walked in and observed a transmitter jamming flight services or the Fire,Police EMS ect they would take action to stop it now, with out getting permission, they have visited Many radio station that were licensed and supposed to be on the air only to fine a empty gutted building, no equipment, antenna or coax, not even power to the building but the license is not revoked an its business as usual. Go Figure, sound familiar ?
 
First Fone 65 said:
Many radio station that were licensed and supposed to be on the air only to fine a empty gutted building, no equipment, antenna or coax, not even power to the building but the license is not revoked an its business as usual. Go Figure, sound familiar ?
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Ah, I get it. Since your arch nemesis has broken the law and not been held accountable, it's okay for you to also break the law and not be held accountable? How does Steve Lee feel about this?

By the way, Joe, it is against the Terms of Service for you to maintain more than one account.
 
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