More FCC pirate crackdowns [telecom]

[Garrett Wollman]

Earlier this year we discussed the FCC's new authority under the
so-called PIRATE Act to go after landlords of pirate broadcasters. In
his weekly NorthEast Radio Watch newsletter, my friend Scott Fybush
reports today:

The FCC’s effort to crack down on pirate operators by going
after their landlords took a new turn last week when 16
property owners in New York and New Jersey received notices
from the Commission warning them that unlicensed signals were
coming from their locations, subjecting them to the
possibility of fines as high as $2 million if the broadcasts
continued. The list included stations in Brooklyn on 91.9,
95.9, 97.5, 98.9, 99.7, 100.7 and 107.9, in the Bronx on 88.9
and 101.7, in St. Albans, Queens on 88.5, in Newark on 87.9,
in Irvington on 88.5 and 90.9, in Maplewood on 90.7, in Orange
on 102.1 and in Paterson on 99.3.

No indication yet as to whether this aggressive approach is actually
having an effect. The law requires the FCC's Enforcement Bureau to
make an annual list of the pirate-broadcasting hotspots and report to
Congress on its enforcement efforts there.

-GAWollman

[Marco Moock]

Post by Garrett Wollman
The FCC’s effort to crack down on pirate operators by going
after their landlords took a new turn last week when 16
property owners in New York and New Jersey received notices
from the Commission warning them that unlicensed signals were
coming from their locations, subjecting them to the
possibility of fines as high as $2 million if the broadcasts
continued.

What happens if the landlords rent apartments or land itself. Do they
also receive fines?

[Scott Dorsey]

Post by Garrett Wollman
No indication yet as to whether this aggressive approach is actually
having an effect. The law requires the FCC's Enforcement Bureau to
make an annual list of the pirate-broadcasting hotspots and report to
Congress on its enforcement efforts there.

Pirate broadcasting isn't really a serious issue in this country. There are
a few places where it's a problem such as the Haitian community in Brooklyn
where legitimate broadcasters have been interfered with, but really the FCC
goes up against broadcast pirates because it's an easy win and they get a
lot of publicity for a minimal effort.

At the same time we have folks like the 7200 gang on the 40M amateur radio
band who seem to be totally immune to FCC enforcement because the FCC does
not seem to think it's worth their time. We have Christian networks using
noncommercial FM licenses and broadcasting commercials and program
sponsorships. We have absolute and total lack of Part 15 enforcement on
consumer products; walk into a Wal-Mart with a spectrum analyzer and take a
peek at the electronics section, plenty of spurious emissions from all over.

But the FCC doesn't care, they're more interested in going after broadcast
pirates because it gets them into the news.
--scott

[Garrett Wollman]

Post by Scott Dorsey
Pirate broadcasting isn't really a serious issue in this country. There are
a few places where it's a problem such as the Haitian community in Brooklyn
where legitimate broadcasters have been interfered with, but really the FCC
goes up against broadcast pirates because it's an easy win and they get a
lot of publicity for a minimal effort.

Nah. They get very little publicity. They do it because Congress
cares about it -- and it's generally only a few members of Congress
these days, mostly from South Florida where the pirate activity is the
greatest.

Post by Scott Dorsey
At the same time we have folks like the 7200 gang on the 40M amateur radio
band who seem to be totally immune to FCC enforcement because the FCC does
not seem to think it's worth their time.

Congress absolutely does not care about amateur radio.

Post by Scott Dorsey
We have Christian networks using noncommercial FM licenses and
broadcasting commercials and program sponsorships.

"Christian" networks are very wealthy and have large and politically
engaged audiences, so there is no shortage of lobbying to keep the FCC
(or the IRS) from becoming too interested in their operations.

-GAWollman