FCC Fines NYC Pirate Station $2M+

The FCC is using a new law to fine a pirate radio station operating in New York City for more than $2 million. For 15 years, Impacto 2, which has been operated by two brothers, has broadcast Ecuadorian news, culture, sports, and talk-radio on 105.5 FM in Queens. The feds have tried to shut it down repeatedly, but have never succeeded, according to Vice News.

“The Commission proposed the maximum penalty allowable, $2,316,034, against brothers César Ayora and Luis Angel Ayora for pirate radio broadcasting in Queens, New York,” a news release stated. The FCC also said it was trying to seize $80,000 in equipment from a man broadcasting pirate radio in Eastern Oregon. 

The Ayoras have been on the FCC’s radar since 2008 when they started broadcasting Impacto 2 for the Ecuadorian community in Queens: "The brothers César and [Luis] Angel Ayora in September 2008 founded the first Ecuadorian FM radio station in New York City. . . The station never sleeps, because a team of communication professionals are working for you 24 hours a day," their website, which is currently down, said. The station is broadcast over the internet and has moved around the FM spectrum several times over the years. 

The station's Instagram and Facebook pages show that they regularly throw events for the community and that their main mission is providing Spanish-language news and music for Ecuadorians living in Queens. 

In court documents about the fine, the FCC detailed its history with the Ayoras and Impacto 2.

The story is always the same. Someone complains about the Ecuadorian broadcast, the FCC investigates and tracks down the radio antenna, and the Ayoras admit to owning it. Then the FCC issues a fine. “On June 2, 2015, the Bureau issued a $20,000 forfeiture order against Luis Angel Ayora for operating this unauthorized radio station,” court document said “The Bureau received no response to the order, and the forfeiture was never paid.”

After the fine goes unpaid, the FCC seizes the equipment. But the Ayoras don’t stop. “The seizure of their equipment by federal agents did not deter the Ayoras from continuing to operate their pirate radio station,” a court document said.

According to the FCC’s court documents, the Ayoras repeatedly talked about the pirate station on the air and let the audience know when the station changed places on the FM dial. César Ayora even hosts a show called Sentimientos where he plays romantic music every Sunday night. The radio station’s Instagram account explicitly advertises it as airing in New York.