The House has passed legislation that would increase penalties against radio stations that broadcast illegally without a Federal Communications Commission license.
The legislation, (H.R. 583) by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) would allow the FCC to impose up to $2 million in fines against so-called pirate radio stations. The House passed the measure by voice vote. It’s unclear when the Senate might act on the bill.
In response to Monday's passage of the PIRATE Act by the House of Representatives, NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith issued a statement:
“NAB applauds the House of Representatives for unanimous passage of the PIRATE Act, which strengthens the FCC’s ability to combat illegal pirate radio operations. Unlawful pirate radio stations not only interfere with licensed radio broadcasts, but also jeopardize air traffic control communications and threaten public safety. We commend Reps. Tonko (D-NY) and Bilirakis (R-FL) for their leadership on this issue and urge swift passage of the PIRATE Act by the Senate.”
The act would require the FCC to conduct sweeps in the five cities where pirate radio is the biggest problem—New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas—at least once a year. And then, within six months, field agents would be mandated to return to those markets to conduct “monitoring sweeps” to determine whether the unlicensed operators simply powered back up or changed frequencies.
According to InsideRadio, the agency would also be required to issue a report back to Congress on an annual basis about its pirate-fighting efforts. Supporters have said that while current FCC chair Ajit Pai has stepped up the agency’s enforcement actions, changing the federal statute would ensure future chairmen wouldn’t pull it back.
Yet the sponsors have pulled back from their previous bill, which would have made it easier for the Commission to go after landlords, advertisers, and any other business that provides “physical goods or services” to the unlicensed station. That language has been removed from the latest legislation.
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