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Tonko Bill Cracking Down on Illegal Radio Broadcasts Signed into Law

PIRATE Act aimed to protect public airwaves signed by President

WASHINGTONPresident Trump has signed Congressman Paul D. Tonko’s PIRATE Act into law, legislation that toughens the penalty for illegal ‘pirate’ radio broadcast signals that interfere with first responders, air traffic controllers and legitimate broadcasts.

“After years of bipartisan work, our bill to support first responders and safeguard American communities is now a matter of law,” Congressman Tonko said. “First responders and air traffic controllers rely on clear and safe public airwaves to do their jobs and protect the public. This law helps ensure that legitimate communications systems no longer have to compete with illegal pirate radio, which threatens our Emergency Alert Services (EAS) and broadcasts vulgar and dangerous content that would never be permitted on the air otherwise. With this bill now law, legal broadcasters and emergency services can operate free from dangerous and harmful interference.”  

H.R. 583: Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement (PIRATE) Act, introduced by Rep. Tonko and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) last January, confronts illegal broadcasters that send out pirate signals that can threaten public safety and interfere with Emergency Alert Systems and other services relied upon by first responders to protect our communities. The bill increases fines for a pirate radio broadcasting violation to no more than $2 million and imposes fines up to $100,000 per day for pirating violations, subject to a $2 million limit. The legislation is endorsed by National Association for Broadcasters (NAB), New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, Inc. (NABOB).

This legislation was advanced out of the House of Representatives last year and passed in the Senate earlier this month in January 2020.

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