Who is accountable if a repeater inadvertently retransmits communications that violate the FCC rules?

According to FCC rules, the control operator of the originating station is solely responsible for the content of their transmissions. If they transmit a rule-violating signal that goes into a repeater, they are the one breaking the rules, not the repeater. The repeater operates automatically and cannot reasonably prevent an inadvertent rule violation by an external user before it is retransmitted. Therefore, the FCC holds the person who originated the transmission accountable, keeping the burden off the repeater owner or its control operator.