FCC Chairman Thomas Wheeler told the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Tuesday that 91 actions have been taken so far this year against pirate radio stations. That, Wheeler says, compares to 130 actions taken all of last year. What he didn’t say was how that 91 compares to how many pirate radio stations the Commission believes are in operation across the United States.
Just yesterday, the New York State Broadcasters Association released a report that, according to, NYSBA President David Donavan, says there are 76 known pirate radio stations in the New York metropolitan area alone, and there could be more than 100. Donavan believes FCC enforcement against pirate radio operators is down. Wheeler told the committee that going after pirate radio stations now takes up to 20% of the FCC’s field-force time.
In his written testimony, Wheeler stated the Commission is trying to combat pirate radio stations smarter. “We have shifted from our historic ‘whack-a-mole’ enforcement approach, to focus on the worst actors – pirates that are repeat offenders that cause interference to licensed broadcasters, that run advertisements, and that operate at high power.”
The Commission would also like Congress to pass legislation making it illegal to aid or abet pirate radio operations.
What does the NAB say about pirate enforcement in 2016. Executive Vice President for Media Relations Dennis Wharton tells Radio Ink, “It’s clear that pirate radio remains a serious blight on the public airwaves. We urge the FCC to redouble its efforts to put these illegal operations out of business.”
And yet, the FCC was forced to close a number of enforcement offices around the country…. That’s kind of the same thing as the Republicans cutting funds from embassy security and then blaming Clinton for the attack on Benghazi.