A property owner in New York City has received a “pirate letter” from the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, marking the second letter in a week it sent to a location in the Bronx — this time to a residential dwelling.
Diana Richards, determined through New York City public property tax records as the owner of a home on Hill Avenue in the Bronx, was notified by the commission of an unlicensed broadcast emanating there on 91.3 FM. It was detected on separate dates this past February.
[Related: “Bronx Apartment Owner Receives Pirate Letter”]
The Facebook page for Bronx Parti FM lists Richards as its owner. It advertises a 91.3 FM signal.
One of our New York City readers who works in the Bronx has heard an unlicensed signal on the channel for some time.
The PIRATE Act gave the Enforcement Bureau the ability to go after owners or managers of properties where unlicensed signals are detected.
Richards has 10 days to respond to the notice with evidence that the broadcasts are no longer occurring at the property.
The FCC can issue a fine of up to $2,453,218 if it determines that unlicensed broadcasts are continuing after sending the pirate letter.
We’ve reported on how the New York City metropolitan area, in particular, has a high number of pirate operators.
David Goren keeps track of the pirate radio scene in Brooklyn and has for seven years maintained an interactive map of the operators there.
(Read the Enforcement Bureau’s Notice of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting.)
