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The PIRATE Act, recently passed by Congress, is intended to stem the tide of unlicensed radio broadcasting by providing the Federal Communications Commission with new tools. Chief amongst them are new maximum fines, and a shortcut to issuing them. But will this really work?
Author and radio scholar John Anderson says that a lot of the Act’s provisions amount to “unfunded mandates,” requiring the FCC to make semi-annual sweeps in pirate radio hotspots, but without any additional budget. John joins the show to details all of the PIRATE Act’s provisions, and assess what effect they may have.
We also analyze the role of unlicensed radio stations in their communities –recently recognized by even the Boston Globe – and what effect, if any, the Act might have on Part 15, legal unlicensed broadcasters.
Show Notes:
- Boston Globe: Give Radio Pirates a Chance to Go Legit
- The PIRATE Act text
- The PIRATE Act was sponsored by former New York Rep. Chris Collins who was just sentenced to prison for insider trading
- Part 15 Lab: A Look Back at KENC 1620 AM, Stayton, OR
- Internet Archive Wayback Machine: Allston-Brighton Free Radio
- Internet Archive Wayback Machine: Boston Globe article on Allston-Brighton Free Radio’s Part 15 network
