We’ve covered recent notices the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau sent to property owners in New York City about unlicensed broadcasts, but it is also investigating a complaint in the town of Sweet Home, Ore., demonstrating that they sometimes occur in small-town America, too.
Known as the “gateway” to the Santiam River playground, Sweet Home has a population of 9,828 and is about 75 miles south of Portland.
[Related: “Pirate Radio Is Not Just a Big-City Problem”]
In April, agents from the Enforcement Bureau’s Portland office detected a broadcast on 92.1 FM from a property on Nadina Street.
Linn County, Ore., tax records identified Sam Marshall as the property owner, according to the commission’s report. Agents determined the transmissions observed exceeded Part 15 limits.
Marshall has 10 days to respond to the notice that was sent on July 1, confirming that the broadcasts have ceased and identifying the source of the transmissions. Under the 2020 PIRATE Act, the commission can issue a fine of around $2.5 million if it determines that unlicensed broadcasts are continuing after sending the “pirate letter.”
According to the commission’s records, 19 pirate letters have been sent to property owners so far in 2025.
(Read the FCC’s notice of illegal pirate radio broadcasting.)
