HFU HF Underground
General Category => General Radio Discussion => Topic started by: John Poet on September 14, 2017, 0158 UTC
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"Pirates Beware. Chairman Pai Is Coming For You"
The FCC Chairman Pai updated the radio industry on his progress to shut down pirate radio operators, at the NAB conference. He says, thanks in part to the vocal support of Commissioner O’Rielly, the FCC has substantially stepped up its enforcement efforts against pirate radio stations. And here are the numbers…
Since Pai became Chairman in January, the Commission’s Enforcement Bureau has issued 55 Notices of Unlicensed Operation, several Notices of Apparent Liability, and six Forfeiture Orders against pirate broadcasters. Pai says this FCC has cracked down on illegal operators all across the United States, from California to Kentucky, and up and down the East Coast from Florida to Massachusetts. “You can rest assured we will not just continue, but intensify this effort in the months to come. Our message to pirate operators is clear: the FCC will not tolerate unauthorized, illegal broadcasts, and we will use all of the tools within our disposal to end them.”
from https://radioink.com/2017/09/06/pirates-beware-pai-coming/#comment-17838
Editorial comment:
Pai isn't coming. He's not even breathing heavy.
He is, however, a tool....
I do urge my compatriots to exercise due diligence... especially those within 100 miles of the field offices that remain open.
Don't feed the Pai!
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But RFI from "smart" washing machines that wipes out entire neighborhoods' HF reception from 3-10 MHz -- that's OK.
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Good Point!
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just thought id chime in to comment that this appears to be targeted only at FM pirates at this point since the conglomerate media companies that own multiple legitimate FM stations have the cash to burn and fund the operations of the FCC in order to shut down the "threatening" FM pirate competition which the legitimate stations claim threatens their "bottom line" profits of the stock holders and company.
now if shortwave was made up of several stations owned by a corporate conglomerate media company with stock holders, then i could see this happening to shortwave too.
the lists of orders tells the story itself http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/
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To be fair, a pirate FM station in Boston (this one: http://bigcityfm.com/) has been a problem for a small, locally owned AM station (this one: http://www.wjib.org/) that was recently granted an FM translator license. Bob Bittner (owner of WJIB) is that farthest thing from a radio conglomerate and I'm pretty sure he makes almost no money, he runs his station (legally) because he loves radio. These are exactly the type of stations that pirates are wise to avoid causing interference to because it undermines the entire "radio conglomerates are evil" justification for pirating.
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It should be pointed out as well that there is a big difference between pirate 'A' that pops up for a few hours on the weekends, and pirate 'B' that is on 24/7 and selling advertising. Although just because a station is not running 24/7 or selling advertising you don't have the right to use any frequency you choose. I am for responsible piracy (is there really such a thing?). Do your research, find a clear frequency, and have fun, but understand there are risks.
+-RH
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It should be pointed out as well that there is a big difference between pirate 'A' that pops up for a few hours on the weekends, and pirate 'B' that is on 24/7 and selling advertising. Although just because a station is not running 24/7 or selling advertising you don't have the right to use any frequency you choose. I am for responsible piracy (is there really such a thing?). Do your research, find a clear frequency, and have fun, but understand there are risks.
+-RH
This. Exactly. (Well stated).
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I wish my last name was Pai. You could name your kids things like Apple, Blackberry, and Lemon. "Meadowlark Lemon Pai", now there's a name anyone would be proud of!