Sidewalk Radio Ltd has been ordered to pay fines totalling $20,000 after the station was found guilty of operating without a licence. Magistrate Krishendeo Narinesingh, presiding in the Tunapuna Magistrates' Court, found the station guilty on two charges of operating a radio-communications service on 92.1 FM without a licence granted by Telecommunications Authority of T&T (TATT). The first charge was that the station operated without the required licence on November 8, 2006, at Curepe Priority Mall, Eastern Main Road, Curepe.
The second charge was that the station operated at the same place without the required licence on November 21, 2006. The court ordered the station to pay $10,000 on each charge within 28 days, or serve six months' imprisonment. Dana Seetahal, SC, and Sean Cazabon represented TATT. Sidewalk Radio Ltd was defended by Shastri Roberts. The initial charges were filed against Sidewalk Radio in December 2006, after TATT's seizure of the station's broadcast transmitter.
TATT said it gave the broadcast station a licence on February 23, 2006, to operate at 92.3MHs. TATT said, however, that their inspectors found the station operating at 92.1MHz illegally. The authority said the radio station had no licence to operate that frequency.