The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau issued warnings to sixteen landowners in the New York City/New Jersey area for allowing illegal broadcasting from their property. The warnings were sent out as part of the Bureau’s 2022-2023 New York Pirate Sweeps.
This wave comes with the new powers that Congress bestowed on the FCC through the PIRATE Act, including higher penalties against pirate radio broadcasters of up to $115,802 per day with a maximum of $2,316,034. That maximum can be levied if the FCC determines that the party continued to permit any individual or entity to engage in pirate radio broadcasting from any property that they own or manage.
Two Queens-area pirate radio operators were the first to be slapped with the full fine in March after ignoring shutdown orders for more than a decade, even after their equipment was seized.
“The law is clear: owners can no longer turn a blind eye to pirate radio operations on their property,” said Loyaan A. Egal, Chief of the Enforcement Bureau. “Such activities can interfere with licensed broadcast signals and do not meet the emergency alerting responsibilities of lawful radio stations. I want to thank our field agents for their widespread sweep for illegal broadcasts and for their ongoing vigilance.”
The NAB praised the FCC’s actions, with SVP Communications Alex Siciliano saying, “NAB congratulates the FCC on its recent enforcement actions against illegal broadcast pirate operations. Pirate radio stations interfere with both licensed broadcast stations and air traffic control systems. In recent years, reductions of FCC field enforcement led directly to increased pirate activity and required Congressional action to provide the additional tools necessary to effectively combat these illegal operators by placing liability on the landowners who facilitate them. With full funding of the 2020 PIRATE Act now in place, NAB looks forward to regular enforcement sweeps that will help maintain order on the public airwaves.”
