Last week was a busy one in the Sunshine State. An FM pirate was busted in a high-profile raid in Lake Worth; this one was apparently tracked down by the chopper pilot of a local TV station. Mainstream media coverage of this case is particularly sketchy; interference with an aviation frequency is involved, but the hype of what this actually means is blown way out of proportion.
Then there are the ancillary “facts”: the most comprehensive coverage (courtesy of the Palm Beach Post) says pirate radio transmitters cost “as little as $5,000” (off by a good factor of ten – on the high side) and cites the FCC as claiming to have shut down “more than 400” radio pirates in Florida since 1997. Continue reading “FCC Sweeps Florida; State Senate Set to Pass Anti-Pirate Bill”
Category: Pirate Radio
Florida Moves to Criminalize Pirate Radio; Jammers Hit Clear Channel?
SB 2714 has been introduced in the Florida State Senate. This legislation would allow state authorities loose on the hunt for pirate stations; the act itself would be treated as a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. Presently it is a crime in Florida to intentionally interfere with radio signals – a misdemeanor.
SB 2714 cleared the Senate’s Committee on Communication and Public Utilities last month on a 7-1 vote and awaits similar endorsement by the Criminal Justice Committee. A companion bill in the state House has already been endorsed by its Committees on Business Regulation (28-8) and Appropriations (37-5). Continue reading “Florida Moves to Criminalize Pirate Radio; Jammers Hit Clear Channel?”
KFAR/Oklahoma City FCC Update
Reports from someone with Knoxville’s First Amendment Radio brings updated info on its situation: the “nastygram” was found around noon Thursday. Then for about an hour station volunteers played hide-and-seek with agents Eric Rice and Rickey Davis from the Atlanta District Field Office (photos available at the station’s web site). KFAR shut down and the agents went away.
First Amendment Radio stayed silent until 4pm Saturday when broadcasts resumed with a skeleton operation its volunteers are willing to risk if the FCC moves in the direction of a raid.
KFAR’s had at least one contact with the FCC prior to this one. The station recently filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the agency (objective unknown) and as of now is asking listeners to call, e-mail or write the agents in Atlanta asking them to cool it. Continue reading “KFAR/Oklahoma City FCC Update”
FCC Visits First Amendment Radio
KFAR in Knoxville, Tennessee reports FCC agents left a “nastygram” at their broadcast trailer digs Thursday afternoon; the station left the air shortly afterward to consider its next move. At present KFAR’s web radio stream is still up and running.
There have also been unconfirmed reports of a microbroadcaster in Oklahoma City having contact with the FCC earlier in the week; this station reportedly broadcast nearly 24/7 and accepted listener phone calls. This one can’t go into the Database unless more concrete info surfaces.
WNFC Proposal Collects Endorsements
The plan to demonstrate the power of LPFM with a temporary microradio station chock full o’ news and community programming in Ferndale, Michigan continues to roll along. A finalized version of the WNFC Manifesto is being printed this weekend and WNFC is accepting endorsements from anyone interested in expressing solidarity with this upcoming experiment.
You can e-mail WNFC directly with your name and any other information needed for an endorsement, if you’re so inclined. A preliminary list of supporters will be published with the Manifesto, but WNFC will accept support (symbolic or otherwise) “until this project is complete, several months down the line.” Continue reading “WNFC Proposal Collects Endorsements”
Scene Reports: California, Colorado, Oregon
California: Freak Radio Santa Cruz will lose its current station location at the end of April. The hunt is on for new space. The landlord is apparently clearing out the entire building for some sort of redevelopment project, which is a shame because he’s otherwise been cool about the station (to the point of facing down the FCC twice). Freak Radio’s no stranger to moving – at one stage the station was “homeless” and operated out of a bicycle cart – but it is never a fun experience and this space had been the station’s single longest home.
Berkeley Liberation Radio continues to hum along and recently overhauled its schedule. The station’s adopted a dues format for fundraising and made out okay at their benefit show last month. BLR’s Cap’n Fred lays down the bassline on one of our recent additions to the pirate music MP3 collection (Countdown and the Blastoffs’ “We Want the Airwaves“). Continue reading “Scene Reports: California, Colorado, Oregon”
radio free brattleboro Wins Symbolic Community Endorsement; Gilligan Goes LPFM
Voters in Brattleboro, VT went to the polls on March 2 and by a margin of nearly two to one voted to support their microradio station in its struggle for “official legitimacy.”
For what it’s worth, the local paper ended up endorsing the station, too. The court activity is still at the tentative stage, each side having filed papers asking a federal judge to shut the other up. Continue reading “radio free brattleboro Wins Symbolic Community Endorsement; Gilligan Goes LPFM”
Dutch Authorities Nearly Complete Free Radio Crackdown; Other Miscellany
Been a bit hectic between the last update and this one; this scattershot-ness will likely continue for the next month or so. The site itself still needs some work before it’s fully comfortable in its new home, so if you experience a hiccup in connectivity it’s just me f*cking around trying to set things right.
There have been several new reports of more pressure from the Dutch authorities on pirate stations in the Netherlands. For nearly a year Agentschap Telecom (the Dutch version of the FCC) has run “Project Etherflits,” a nationwide sweep designed to clear the band of extraneous signals so the government can finalize its sale of the broadcast spectrum to the highest bidder. The Zerobase Radio Frequency Policy, as currently written, does not contain provisions for community radio stations – only public and commercial outlets are to share the air. Continue reading “Dutch Authorities Nearly Complete Free Radio Crackdown; Other Miscellany”
Dueling Filings and Journalistic Kudos
The FCC filed a civil suit Tuesday seeking an injunction against radio free brattleboro; today the station filed a counterclaim, challenging FCC licensing authority on several constitutional grounds.
The (hopefully) good news of this move is that the FCC forego the route of the station raid, preferring instead to exert a more diplomatic form of muscle. It could still try to fine someone, but it sounds like the heavy community support may be paying off in keeping the goons away. You never quite know with them wily FCC types…rfb’s referendum for local support goes down March 2. Continue reading “Dueling Filings and Journalistic Kudos”
A New Twist on Electronic Civil Disobedience
Tom Ness, the dynamo behind a drive to collect dozens of community resolutions in Michigan supporting LPFM during its debate in Washington, is back with some new ideas – and this time he’s looking outside the system for success.
Ness’s “WNFC Manifesto” is a long read, but the essential plan is this: instead of starting an unlicensed station and building community support for it over time, why not enlist the community to build the station from the outset? Plan for a limited run of, say, two weeks – and pack those weeks with as much local programming as you can do. A key is having the backing of community officials and leaders. Continue reading “A New Twist on Electronic Civil Disobedience”