The USA telecoms regulator, the Federal Communications Commission has fined the tower company, SpectraSite Communications, US$120,500 for safety-related violations of the Communications Act and the Commission’s antenna structure rules, specifically, failure to register and light its antenna structures.

This action follows an investigation conducted by the Commission’s Norfolk, Virginia Field Office.

The amount of the proposed forfeiture represents the statutory maximum available. The Commission says that it decided to propose a significantly higher forfeiture than generally used in such cases because SpectraSite has a prior history of antenna structure rules violations.

SpectraSite has received three previous forfeitures in less than three years for at least 13 instances of failure to comply with the antenna structure rules.

The Commission also directed SpectraSite to submit a compliance report, and directed the Enforcement Bureau to conduct a broader investigation of SpectraSite’s compliance with the antenna rules, if appropriate after review of SpectraSite’s compliance report.

SpectraSite’s customers include AT&T Wireless, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile.