NYC-NJ Radio: FCC Cracking Down On Pirates

Sixteen New York City and New Jersey landowners were issued FCC warnings for apparently allowing illegal broadcasting from their properties.

“The law is clear: owners can no longer turn a blind eye to pirate radio operations on their property,” Chief of the FCC Enforcement Bureau Loyaan Egal said in a statement. “Such activities can interfere with licensed broadcast signals and do not meet the emergency alerting responsibilities of lawful radio stations.”

NBC-TV4 reports the FCC may issue a fine exceeding $2 million if it determines that the landowners continued to allow any individual or entity to engage in pirate radio broadcasting.

The Notices of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting sent out Tuesday "formally notify landowners of the illegal broadcasting activity occurring on their property; inform landowners of their potential liability for permitting such activity to occur on their property; demand proof that the illegal broadcasting ceases on the property; and request identification of the individual(s) engaged in the illegal broadcasting," the FCC said.

Some of the pirate radio broadcasts issued warnings were located in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Newark, Irvington and Paterson.