When you invite us to your station to do a 'deep' FCC Compliance Audit we meet with you and your designated staff to explain the reason we're there and to allay any concerns. We have no enforcement or arrest powers, and we don't write 'tickets' and we don't tattle. We are literally there to help you avoid those things if the Federal Government finds your violations before we do.
Our Deep Audit includes the Quick Audit steps plus additional and more subtle probes into your technical operation, particularly in the case of AM stations with multiple towers.
Workplan to legality. After we review our findings with you, we will write a statement of work designed to get you back into strict compliance with the FCC Rules. At this point we will request our fee as agreed, then be on our way. Alternatively, we can remain and assist you with the correction of some or all of the problems found during our audit.
Assistance with remedies. We don't attempt to find problems then charge you to fix them unless you specifically ask us for help. Some violations are correctable, some are not. For example, failure to keep logs for the past few years can't be 'fixed.' However, you can immediately begin proper log-keeping in a good-faith effort to correct the violation, which may (or may not) assuage the FCC should they discover the violation. Other problems such as not having a locked gate around your tower(s) can be corrected by installing a gate! Making a copy of your current license, putting it in a frame and mounting the frame on the studio wall is easily accomplished.
The most troublesome issues arise with multiple-tower AM stations where readings at monitor points are periodically required. The purpose of this activity is to keep from interfering with other stations on the same frequency. If other stations can hear your interference in their coverage area because your antenna pattern isn't properly adjusted and they file an interference complaint, the FCC can shut your transmitter off immediately. No grace period, no commercials, no waiting until the ballgame ends, no revenue, no sympathy. We can assist by either checking your monitor points or locating a qualified broadcast engineer in your area to perform this quarterly chore, then adjust the antenna system to comply with your licensed parameters. Not being able to afford an engineer is not a viable defense in these cases. Before you got your license you had to make a 'showing' that you were financially able to run your station according to the Rules. Your alternatives are to either find the money and have the work done, or turn in your license. There's nothing in-between from the FCC's viewpoint.
