From Staff Reports

A Tunnel Hill man has been fined $1,500 by the Federal Communications Commission for interference with licensed radio communications, according to an FCC order.

Dale Lloyd Allred said Tuesday he was embarrassed by the incident, but he said it was due to improperly installed equipment and was not willful or malicious.

The statement says agents began investigating complaints of interference on school bus radio communications in August. Using direction-finding equipment, the agents identified the source of the interference as the office and radio shop for Tri-County Communications in Dalton, where Allred is the CEO, according to the FCC.

Allred reportedly told agents he “was interfering with Dalton Communications’ transmissions, because Dalton Communications had taken the school bus communications contract away from his company.”

On Oct. 16, the FCC’s Atlanta office issued a notice of apparent liability to Allred for $17,000. In his response to that notice, Allred denied that his interference was intentional. He said improperly mounted equipment in his service vehicle caused the radio to broadcast. He also said he was intimidated by the presence of a police officer with the agents during their interview and “would have admitted to anything at the time.”

Allred repeated those claims Tuesday.

“They said there was interference going on over the early summer. Well, I was overseas serving in the military. But my stuff was still here. It was still in the van bouncing around when somebody was driving it,” he said.

Allred says he has since fixed that problem.

“By dropping the original (fine) down to $1,500 I think they are acknowledging it wasn’t willful,” he said.

Officials at Dalton Communications declined to comment.