In a year marked by more PIRATE Act enforcement, the FCC has issued what is likely to be the last notice of 2024 to the owners of a suburban Boston property where Enforcement Bureau agents detected an unauthorized radio station.
The property is owned by Maridane Aunaxe and Marie Y. Aunaxe, who don’t live at the residence. Despite their absence, the PIRATE Act empowers the FCC to hold property owners accountable for unauthorized broadcasts originating from their property. The notice, dated December 27, gives the Aunaxes ten business days to respond or risk facing fines of up to $2,391,097.
Agents discovered the broadcasts during visits to the property on December 7, 2023, and January 12, 2024.
Last week, the FCC issued a similar notice to Silver Randall and Cynthia DiCarlo, trustees of a property in Painesville, OH. FCC agents traced unlicensed broadcasts to the property during two investigations in 2023, following a complaint.
The Commission also voted to impose $200,000 in fines on three unlicensed radio operators in the Boston area during its final Open Meeting of 2024. The penalties targeted Renold David for “Lotnivo Radio,” João Vieira for “Brockton FM,” and Djovany Pierre and Mario Turner for another unlicensed station – all in the Boston area.
Republican Commissioner Nate Simington again criticized the fines, citing concerns about the FCC’s authority in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in SEC v. Jarkesy, which restricts federal agencies from imposing penalties without clear congressional authorization. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel defended the actions, stating, “We help ensure that this vital resource is broadly available and free from harmful interference. And for those who fail to follow the rules, there are consequences.”
Despite Simington’s concerns, enforcement is expected to continue under incoming Republican FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who supported the penalties.
I’ve ran one for 30 years. As an ex commercial broadcaster I also have a deep background in engineering. I’m not alone either. While some engineers hate others with this kind of rebel endeavor, we try to keep it professional using actual broadcast equipment and experience in the biz.
By operating on another station’s protected contour, you are by definition causing interference. But the interference complaint would only be relevant if they had been licensed. If it was a frequency that was licensable, it would have been available to operate an LPFM.
Sooner or later, we the people, will rid the world of the corruption know as “the chosen ones”. And only then will we know freedom.
War IS COMING. who’s side are you on?
Unless a pirate station is inciting violence or illegal activity or causing PROVEN interference it should be left alone. Pirates are often a catalyst for other stations to improve their own programming to be better.
Ok…then we’ll invite some squatters to your property.
I actually think Pirate radio is a good thing. It’s almost always the case that Pirate radio operators have enough technical knowledge to avoid interference and take precautionary methods with spurious emissions causing problems. The complaint is about the FCC not wanting people to broadcast without a government permission slip and not about complaints of interference.
Currently the cost of difficulty of getting a broadcast license is a guaranteed way of maintaining broadcast oligarchy which makes the airwaves so god-awful boring and full of commercials.
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