In April, 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 as part of sweeps under the recently passed PIRATE Act. Now those sweeps have come to The Magic City.
On Friday, the Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued nine warnings to Miami-area landowners and property managers. These warnings were in response to apparently unauthorized radio broadcasting activities taking place on their properties. If these individuals or entities continue to permit pirate radio broadcasting, they might face fines exceeding $2 million.
FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal warned that supporting pirate radio operations could have severe repercussions. These unauthorized stations can disrupt licensed broadcasts and neglect to provide emergency alert system notifications. The Enforcement Bureau’s agents identified the properties involved in illegal broadcasting activities.
These Notices of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting sent out today demand evidence that the unlawful broadcasting has ceased. They also request the identification of those involved in the illegal operations.
Under the PIRATE Act, the FCC has been given enhanced enforcement authority. This includes stiffer penalties for pirate radio broadcasters, up to adjusted amounts of $115,802 per day, with a maximum of $2,316,034. Furthermore, the law mandates the FCC to perform regular enforcement sweeps and grants the authority to act against landlords and property owners knowingly allowing pirate radio broadcasting on their premises.
In a statement, Egal commended the field agents for their continued work, saying, “Providing a safe haven for pirate radio operations that can interfere with licensed broadcast signals and fail to provide emergency alert system notifications can have serious consequences for landowners and property managers that allow this conduct to occur on their properties. I want to thank our field agents for their continued efforts to ensure compliance with federal law in this area.”
