Hello I am dumb, need help from you smarties.

[CDO]

Ya so I recently inhereted two FCC Radio License. These licenses are in the 400 freq. range with transmitter locations in two major US cities.

I suspect these license are worthless and I should just forget about them. But I figured I would ask you all WTH I can do with such licenses as I have no clue.

-CDO

 

[jon_k]

If they are still valid (e.g. not expired) and you put your transmitter up in the same location at the same height and power levels then you can use the license.

However, if you have no clue, you probably have no need to set up a station. It may not be worth further investigation.

 

[zz0468]

FCC licenses are generally non-transferable. If they're for a business, you can make administrative changes in responsible party, but if they're for an individual who's deceased, they're no longer valid.

Section 310(d) of the Communications Act of 1934:
"No construction permit or station license, or any rights thereunder, shall be transferred, assigned, or disposed of in any manner, voluntarily or involuntarily, directly or indirectly, or by transfer of control of any corporation holding such permit or license, to any person except upon application to the Commission and upon finding by the Commission that the public interest, convenience, and necessity will be served thereby."

 

[SCPD]

I smell a TROLL

 

[CDO]

Hey this is not a troll this is for real.

The license are not expired and in a valid name.

The FCC told me that even though a license allows a tower at a given location and height, the owner of the license must still negotiate with the owner of the property to put up a tower. Is that correct?

-CDO

 

[zz0468]

The license are not expired and in a valid name.

So, how is it that you "inherited" the license? What service is it for? Keeping my previous comments in mind, someone can't simply "give" you a license. As soon as the previous holder is no longer using it, technically, it becomes invalid.

The FCC told me that even though a license allows a tower at a given location and height, the owner of the license must still negotiate with the owner of the property to put up a tower. Is that correct?

Interesting that the FCC told you that. They normally avoid questions pertaining to property rights. That is correct, though. An FCC license merely gives permission to operate a transmitter under the conditions stated on the license. Those conditions include transmitter power, frequency, mode... and location. They don't make any provision for actually putting said transmitter on any given piece of property.

A tower requires permission from the property owner, the local government who has jurisdiction, and possibly the FCC AND the FAA.

 

[CDO]

Okay,

Thank you for the post about property ownership. That answers my question as these licenses are basically worthless without the corresponding property rights.

Seems like the original purchaser may have fallen for one of the "FCC auction" type frauds as an unsophisiticated purchaser might assume that these licensese are valuable.

Oh well I learned something about the FCC today, thank you for those forum members who gave me a hand.

-CDO

 

[SAR923]

Gee, I wonder who the "original purchaser" was?

 

[andy404ns]

A tower requires permission from the property owner, the local government who has jurisdiction, and possibly the FCC AND the FAA.

hahaha for a while i was staring at that trying to figure out who the "AND" was. i need to start getting more sleep.

 

[kb2vxa]

I still have the license I removed from a repeater shack before it was demolished, KEE368 was issued to the New Jersey State Police. Totally useless but a nice bit of history, depending on the licensee it may be worth keeping or used as toilet paper in a pinch.

Here's an interesting bit, the NYPD used to be KOP911. I wonder if the ticket is still hanging around in the dusty corner of somebody's filing cabinet.

 

[dkostrey]

Okay,

Thank you for the post about property ownership. That answers my question as these licenses are basically worthless without the corresponding property rights.

Seems like the original purchaser may have fallen for one of the "FCC auction" type frauds as an unsophisiticated purchaser might assume that these licensese are valuable.

Oh well I learned something about the FCC today, thank you for those forum members who gave me a hand.

-CDO

No, the license is worthless unless your name is the name on record with the FCC as the license holder. You may have the license, but you must change the name on the license (that is the license holder) with the FCC, if legally possible.