House Passes Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act
The House passed the Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement (Pirate) Act (HR-583) Monday on a voice vote. The bill, first filed last year (see 1805080072), would increase fines for illegal pirate operations from $10,000 per violation to $100,000 per…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
day per violation to a $2 million maximum. It would streamline FCC enforcement to empower state and local law enforcement agencies to undertake anti-pirate operations. The House's swift consideration of HR-583, sans a House Commerce Committee markup, fits with earlier expectations that committee leaders were aiming to fast-track consideration of the measure and others that got bipartisan support during the last Congress (see 1901170042). The House passed the previous version of the Pirate Act in July (see 1807230047). “Protecting our public airwaves from illegal pirate radio disruptions is crucial to safeguarding important public safety communications, including our nation’s Emergency Alert System and critical aviation frequencies,” said House Commerce ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Bob Latta, R-Ohio, in a statement. HR-583 “gives the FCC the tools it needs to take down these illegal broadcasts and increases the penalties for these bad actors.” NAB President Gordon Smith hailed House passage, saying the bill “strengthens the FCC’s ability to combat illegal pirate radio operations.”