On June 20, the New York state legislature passed a bill criminalizing unlicensed broadcasting. The measure apparently passed the state Assembly by acclimation and cleared the Senate on a unanimous vote. Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign the bill with little fanfare. This is the fourth time an anti-pirate bill has been considered by New York’s lawmakers.
The new law makes it a class A misdemeanor to broadcast without an FCC license in the AM and FM bands, with penalties ranging from heavy fines to (very unlikely) up to a year in jail. Subsequent run-ins with the FCC or state may be prosecuted as a class D felony, which is punishable by a fine ranging between $500-$7,500 and imprisonment of up to five years. Continue reading “New York Sanctions Pirate-Hunting”
Month: June 2011
Clear Channel Pulls McKenna Podcasts
Last week, Madison’s reactionary radio harpy, Vicki McKenna, sent out a curious communique to her listeners.
Due to “harassment” she and her employer, Clear Channel Communications, have allegedly suffered at the hands of “enemies,” WIBA-AM has “temporarily removed” McKenna’s podcasts from the station web site. Continue reading “Clear Channel Pulls McKenna Podcasts”
Wave Manual to Take Free Radio Into the Classroom
Interesting project in the works: Wave Manual: An Educator’s Micro FM Handbook proposes to “bridge the gap between the theoretical and practical advantages of Free Radio.”
The publication will document the use of community radio to affect sociopolitical change, drawing from the experiences of the U.S. microradio movement and the popular appropriation of radio stations in Oaxaca, Mexico. Continue reading “Wave Manual to Take Free Radio Into the Classroom”
State-level C-SPAN: WisconsinEye Develops Fanbase
The anti-corporate uprising in Wisconsin continues. Much credit is due to WisconsinEye for showing the inner workings of a corrupt state government with such depth and clarity.
Since 2007, the nonpartisan public-affairs network has live-covered the business of the Wisconsin Legislature and Supreme Court, and features a wide variety of original programs produced around the state. It’s available to most cable television subscribers in Wisconsin and also streams online. Continue reading “State-level C-SPAN: WisconsinEye Develops Fanbase”
FCC Flexing Enforcement "Muscle"
Radio industry trades and watchdogs have played up last month’s raid and seizure of pirate station Datz Hits 99.7 FM in Boston. According to the FCC and Department of Justice, Datz Hits caused interference to a licensed commercial radio station as well as an air traffic control frequency at Boston’s Logan International Airport.
Said Enforcement Bureau Chief P. Michele Elison, “This is an important issue for licensed broadcasters and for the public in general, as both groups rely on the vigilance of the FCC to keep the airwaves free of interference. This enforcement action reflects our continued commitment to that objective.” Continue reading “FCC Flexing Enforcement "Muscle"”