So who ratted out HCCN?

[dhett]

I guess Hispanic Christian Community Networks won't get to have that third phantom station in western Arizona after all. Someone (not me) contacted the owner of the tower in Bouse that HCCN claimed hosted the antenna for KJPO-LP, but the tower owner stated that they only had one tenant, a 1.9 GHz wireless customer, and that KJPO was not on its tower. The person making the inquiry then filed a complaint with the FCC, who has rescinded HCCN's license for KJPO, which it had granted on April 7. The FCC is suggesting that HCCN may have falsely certified and wants to know the names of all who were involved. HCCN has 15 business days to reply to the April 24th letter.

So which happens first - the FCC finds out about KRPO-LP and KYPO-LP or HCCN suddenly decides to turn in its licenses for those two stations?

Link: FCC letter to HCCN


My view: I hate fraud - doubly when it comes from an organization that claims to be Christian. This is a good thing.

 

[w9wi]

I guess Hispanic Christian Community Networks won't get to have that third phantom station in western Arizona after all. Someone (not me) contacted the owner of the tower in Bouse that HCCN claimed hosted the antenna for KJPO-LP, but the tower owner stated that they only had one tenant, a 1.9 GHz wireless customer, and that KJPO was not on its tower. The person making the inquiry then filed a complaint with the FCC, who has rescinded HCCN's license for KJPO, which it had granted on April 7. The FCC is suggesting that HCCN may have falsely certified and wants to know the names of all who were involved. HCCN has 15 business days to reply to the April 24th letter.

So which happens first - the FCC finds out about KRPO-LP and KYPO-LP or HCCN suddenly decides to turn in its licenses for those two stations?

Link: FCC letter to HCCN


My view: I hate fraud - doubly when it comes from an organization that claims to be Christian. This is a good thing.

Wow. That could ruin someone's year.....

The real test of what happens to HCCN will be whether evidence can be developed that this happened somewhere else. If it's only KJPO I think they'll just lose the KJPO license and a few thousand $$ in fines. If it turns out to have happened with several permits, we're going to see a much bigger brouhaha. The "FCC death penalty",{0} while still unlikely, would be on the table.

{0} a ruling that HCCN is "not qualified to be a Commission licensee", resulting in the loss of all their permits and licenses, including those which are not believed to have been directly involved in fraud.

 

[dhett]

Wow. That could ruin someone's year.....

The real test of what happens to HCCN will be whether evidence can be developed that this happened somewhere else. If it's only KJPO I think they'll just lose the KJPO license and a few thousand $$ in fines. If it turns out to have happened with several permits, we're going to see a much bigger brouhaha. The "FCC death penalty",{0} while still unlikely, would be on the table.

{0} a ruling that HCCN is "not qualified to be a Commission licensee", resulting in the loss of all their permits and licenses, including those which are not believed to have been directly involved in fraud.

Actually, that's four phantoms: KRPO-LP Quartzsite, KYPO-LP Tacna, KJPO-LP Parker and K30IP Littlefield. All licensed, none has ever transmitted, to the best of my knowledge. If the FCC decides to probe their other licenses, they may very well get the "FCC death penalty". And HCCN has a lot of properties, mostly in Texas.

They're not alone in AZ with phantom stations. KM Television is bad too: KVFA-LP Yuma has never transmitted anything, KPVY-LD Prescott, just licensed last week, doesn't transmit, and I still have never seen a signal out of KCFG-DT - that's right, a full-service station - although KM claims it was on the air from Dec 07 until Feb 09, when they experienced equipment failure. Equipment failure - right - at the same time as the equipment failure that took out their analog station two weeks before the 2/17 shutoff, even though the analog and digital transmitters are located miles apart. It was months after they were licensed before I saw signals from KNJO-LP Holbrook, KWKM-LP Show Low and KWSJ-LP Snowflake.

Then there's K02MT Parker. Never been a signal, as far as I know.

 

[stationi]

Iglesia Jesucristo Es Mi Refugio also got busted for the same thing. I'm not sure the connection between the two but in the past they have sold stations to each other.

Here is the link:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=11087

 

[dhett]

Iglesia Jesucristo Es Mi Refugio also got busted for the same thing. I'm not sure the connection between the two but in the past they have sold stations to each other.

Here is the link:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=11087

There's definitely a link. The name Antonio Cesar Guel appears at the bottom of the Iglesia Jesucristo letter. Guel is president of HCCN. Meanwhile, the HCCN letter is addressed to Mr. Gomez. Roberto Gomez is head of Iglesia Jesucristo. Both are located in Dallas, Texas.

 

[w9wi]

Actually, that's four phantoms: KRPO-LP Quartzsite, KYPO-LP Tacna, KJPO-LP Parker and K30IP Littlefield. All licensed, none has ever transmitted, to the best of my knowledge. If the FCC decides to probe their other licenses, they may very well get the "FCC death penalty". And HCCN has a lot of properties, mostly in Texas.

Thing is, the ones where it hasn't been shown they lied won't count against them... but if someone with knowledge of what happened in Quartzsite, Tacna, and Littlefield were to file a well-supported complaint in the next few weeks.....

 

[KeithE4]

Then there's K02MT Parker. Never been a signal, as far as I know.

IIRC, I remember seeing them listed in a late-'80s Broadcasting Yearbook as being on the air as an ABC affiliate.