Re: Detroit Pirate Shutdown

[mwaters@wesleyan.edu (Martin J. Waters)]

>John Bolduc posted:
>FCC CLOSES AN UNLICENSED RADIO STATION IN DETROIT.
<snip>

        This reminds me: The Hartford-area pirates are still on, at least
as of a few days ago. Praise FM, on 105.3 (gospel), and a Spanish-language
pirate that I think is in the 97s (97.9? maybe?). Both have been operating
for a long time, perhaps a couple years. The Praise FM operator is involved
in some legal doings at the local federal court trying to fight an FCC
order to shut down. They'd be comical if they weren't costing the public
money and tying up staff of the FCC and maybe the Justice Department when
they could be doing some other work.
        Since I've always understood that the FCC had the right to
confiscate the equipment on the spot, I do not understand all these
drawn-out goings on--except that it's costing all of us tax money. Is the
rule or is not the rule that if you can't produce your license --
instrument of authorization--when the FCC inspector shows up, and he/she
catches you actually operating the broadcast equipment, he/she can back the
truck up to the building and take the stuff away? That's pretty much what
they did in Florida awhile ago, isn't it? And, if this remains so, why
don't they do it around here? Is it a matter of this district FCC office
choosing to operate differently?

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