The Enforcement Bureau of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is continuing its active efforts to curb pirate radio operations across the country, issuing Notices to three separate operators.
Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture were issued to two pirate radio operators, one in Burney, CA and the other in Rockford, IL. In the first instance, the operator was found to have willfully and repeatedly interfered with radio communications of the Western Amateur Radio Friendship Association (WARFA) during the Association’s regularly scheduled on-air meetings.
In the second case, the operator made multiple one-way radio transmissions for an extended period of time, including recorded comedy routines, air raid siren sounds, and digital noises. One transmission observed by an Enforcement Bureau field agent continued for over 30 minutes, during which time other users were blocked from accessing the channel.
The FCC proposed financial penalties of $24,000 and $25,000 respectively in these cases.
In a separate action, the FCC issued a Notice of Unlicensed Operation to a Utica, NY operator who reportedly made unauthorized transmissions on frequencies used for police dispatch communications in Herkimer County, NY. The operator was given 10 days to cease the illegal interference and to notify the FCC of the specific steps they have taken to avoid operating on unlicensed frequencies in the future.
Read the Notice of Unlicensed Operation for the operator in Utica, NY.
