The FCC Chairman also updated the radio industry on his progress to shut down pirate radio operators. He says, thanks in part to the vocal support of Commissioner O’Rielly, the FCC has substantially stepped up its enforcement efforts against pirate radio stations. And here are the numbers…
Since Pai became Chairman in January, the Commission’s Enforcement Bureau has issued 55 Notices of Unlicensed Operation, several Notices of Apparent Liability, and six Forfeiture Orders against pirate broadcasters. Pai says this FCC has cracked down on illegal operators all across the United States, from California to Kentucky, and up and down the East Coast from Florida to Massachusetts. “You can rest assured we will not just continue, but intensify this effort in the months to come. Our message to pirate operators is clear: the FCC will not tolerate unauthorized, illegal broadcasts, and we will use all of the tools within our disposal to end them.”
With the advent of the AM stations to FM translators now in full swing. Ligit LPFM´ers are getting squeezed out, thus, FM pirating will still continue where they find space to do so. Over the last decade, permissible Part #15 radiating AM stations, (With limits of 100mW PEP to a 3 meter antenna.), have really popped up more and more. There´s the talk by the Federal Corporate Coddlers to revitalize the AM broadcast bands? Heck, let us have it! We´ll put it to good use. It was unlicensed operators that began AM radio broadcasting back in 1920, and it looks like it´s unlicensed broadcasters that will have to bring that back. Can you think of a better way to commemorate 2020, AM broadcasting´s 100th anniversary?
Pai isn’t coming. He’s not even breathing heavy.
This is so hilarious when I read it I about died laughing. Last I knew FCC budget, nothing. Several of the offices had been closed. Sound more like Pai is so scared of all the people he has pissed off with internet issues and commercial broadcasters are mad at him for the studio issues he is trying to gain positives for all the negatives. How many pirates does he think will actually respond to the 10 day notice? And as far as forfeitures how many does he think he will collect on? It’s like he doesn’t pay any attention to past pirate busts that failed over the last 10 years. No one will pay such fines. Doesn’t matter if they are $5 or 1 million dollars. The FCC will not receive anything. The internet is full of cheap transmitter kits and assembled units. So what if one gets popped. Or 550 of them. For each shut down they will be back. That’s the way freedom of press and speech works. It’s usually the government that takes violent actions with guns and murder when they see they aren’t winning fairly.