Pirate radio embraces the guerrilla motif: attack, disappear, reform, repeat. Several years ago it flared, made headlines, and a bit of history, but then subsided. Now things are at a healthy simmer again, and this time on more than one dial.
On the enforcement front, although the FCC still cares about pirates, activity on all three major bands (AM, FM, and shortwave) is evident. A recent story in the Boston Globe profiled several AM pirates operating there. The FCC took up the issue of LPFM in part because of pressure from committed microbroadcasters; could there be similar motivations at play in its new LPAM rulemaking? Shortwave pirates, who haven’t seen enforcement action in six years, are downright cocky.
Then there is FM, where the bulk of the action still happens. New stations are born every month and new tactics are being developed to minimize the risks involved. More importantly, there’s evidence of new operations rising from the ashes of old: a sure sign that roots are down.
Kevin Martin has been reshuffling staff at the FCC since he assumed the Chairman’s office in March. Times like these sometimes provoke a change in stance against electronic civil disobedience. However, this particular iteration of government can’t crack the guerrilla problem in other contexts, so I doubt it’ll find much luck here.
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