Pirate Radio Enforcement Legislation Introduced

On May 8, the PIRATE Act, which provides the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with enhanced penalties and additional tools to take action against illegal pirate radio operations, was introduced in the House of Representatives. Pirate radio is a real threat to public health and safety, causes interference to legal radio broadcasts and flouts the rule of law. NAB thanks Reps. Leonard Lance (NJ-07), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Chris Collins (NY-27) and their fellow cosponsors for the bipartisan introduction of the PIRATE Act, which provides the FCC with enhanced penalties and additional tools to take action against illegal pirate radio operations.

Broadcasters also thank FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly for his longstanding leadership on this issue and Chairman Ajit Pai and his Enforcement Bureau staff’s commitment to pirate radio enforcement. NAB strongly supports this legislation to provide greater enforcement tools to the Commission and will work with members of Congress in the House and Senate on its swift passage.