PIRATE Hunting LooKs GooD on PAPER

(In response to a recent Radio World article on combating the problem of pirate broadcasting,
 I submitted the following comments to the editor of the magazine.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 PIRATE Hunting LooKs GooD on PAPER 
Leave it to Congress to pass yet another spineless, barely-enforceable act (the PIRATE Act of 2020), bringing back shades of the worthless 1986 ECPA Act.  While I can see where pirate broadcasting can certainly be a problem, in all honesty, the majority of radio listeners LOVE listening to pirates.  (Radio magazines even run columns devoted
to pirate listening.)

While I don't necessarily disagree with fine-levying, such levies are WORTHLESS if the FCC is in fact powerless (or fund-less) to collect those fines.  Quoting your Oct. 21st article on Pirates: "to date..... no forfeitures have been assessed under the act".

In my "Necessary and Welcome" letter to RW (APR. 17, 22), I pointed out that the
FCC's 2016 $25K NAL judgement against Wm. Crowell (former W6WBJ) has yet to
be actually enforced (transl.: COLLECTED).  Crowell continues to operate w/o a
valid amateur license (the FCC rejected his renewal application).

The W6WBJ callsign was recently appropriated by a close friend of Mr. Crowell. 
The obscenity, sexist and racist JAMMING of the WARFA net on 3.908 has now
DOUBLED with current and former owners of the callsign tag-teaming to JAM
net operations nearly every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday (@8pm to ~8:45). 
Over 100 complaints have been filed through the FCC's website, only to be given
a "Case #", "while the band plays on".

How can we believe the FCC will be capable of enforcing any $100K - $2-mil
judgements in the future, when they can't even collect a 6-yrold $25k NAL? 
Crowell has loudly proclaimed on 3.908 that WBJ = World's Best Jammer and
that the FCC will never collect THE $25k.   He even plays a song on top of the net showcasing the [sic] virtues of being a jammer.  He has been at it for over 10 years.  Isn't it time to bring in the local sheriff and/or federal marshals and shut this clown down?

The longer it takes to enforce current NAL's reduces any future collection attempts
to "I'm going to SIC my BiG Brother on You".

I'm all for the FCC doing their enforcement job, when they do their enforcement job.  

My Question is: "WHEN will that BE"?

Ron Fitch  (WQ6X)
      President
Amateur Radio Club of Alameda
(http://ARCAHAM.org)

It will be interesting to see if this letter is published (whole or in part).
Stay TUNED, as I post further developments on this situation.

What are YOUR views on Pirates and Pirate broadcasting?

UPDATE: December 21st, 2022.  The above editorial was published with a few
edits, altho essentially, pretty much exactly the way I wrote it, as you can see below: