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Payne, Jr. Joins NJ, NY Colleagues in Letter to FCC Chairman on Pirate Radio Stations

June 9, 2015

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) today joined colleagues in the New Jersey and New York Congressional Delegations in a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Thomas Wheeler advocating for increased efforts to remedy the ongoing problem of unauthorized pirate radio stations.

In the letter, the Members note that “unauthorized pirate radio stations operating on FM radio frequencies have plagued both listeners and legitimate licensed radio stations in New York City and northern New Jersey.” In Newark alone, 15 complaints have been filed against unauthorized pirate radio stations.

The Members highlight several concerns with pirate radio stations, including interference with services, including emergency alerts, provided by authorized stations; disregard for consumer protection laws; and the undermining of investment in legitimate minority-owned stations.

“I’m deeply concerned by pirate radio stations operating in New Jersey, especially with regards to public safety,” said Congressman Payne, Jr. “New Jerseyans need and deserve easy access to emergency alerts to protect themselves and their families, and they shouldn’t have to worry about unauthorized operators interfering with these vital communications. I’m pleased to be a part of this effort calling for more aggressive efforts to increase enforcement against pirate radio stations.”

The letter continues, “The Commission should use all the enforcement tools it has available to correct this situation. We urge you to increase the number of personnel assigned to the FCC’s New York field office for the purpose of enforcing against these operators. We also request that you work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement officials to prioritize enforcement. … We respectfully request that you provide us with a specific plan of action for resolving this problem.”

Full text of the letter can be found here.

Issues:Local Issues