Impacto 2 pirate station fined $2 million

[DavidEduardo]

If the illegal broadcaster isn’t operating with a license or legitimate equipment, chances are they did not bother to obtain any sort of building or electrical permits.

But the building owner or manager would have to authorize wiring and construction, and require permits to do so or be subject to code violations.

Regardless, the “buck stops” with the building owner. Sounds like an excellent opportunity for an oblivious or negligent landlord to learn some things about property management.

Of course, there is the question of how the FCC will make these rules known to building managers.

 

[nd2023]

Unless the station had its antenna on a balcony hidden in a potted plant, they had to run cables for RF and/or audio and utilities up to the roof. That means access to the service facilities of the building as well as roof access for a "transmitter shack" as well as a mast and antenna plus guy wires.

There is no way a pirate with the obvious significant ERP of this one could be hidden from the building super, and, thus, the owner or manager.

If the transmitter was on the roof, then it probably had to have its own utility hook-up and in that case, a new account with a new meter and wiring had to be installed. Not knowing the codes in that part of Jersey, I'd also wonder if a permit would be required.

All the more reason why the building management had to know something was there.

100 watts TPO could be undetected. It’s about 25 cents a day. Someone could rent out space on a rooftop for an antenna and the landlord would just take the money. I saw how easy it was to get quotes for rooftop rental when I called around looking for a potential transmitter site for a translator.

 

[DavidEduardo]

100 watts TPO could be undetected. It’s about 25 cents a day

I get the impression that the Impacto2 installation was a lot more power and, of course, they had auxiliary gear like audio processing and their whole studio filled with screens, mixers, lighting and the like.

 

[nd2023]

I get the impression that the Impacto2 installation was a lot more power and, of course, they had auxiliary gear like audio processing and their whole studio filled with screens, mixers, lighting and the like.

That electricity would be covered with their rent. Assuming that the studio was in the same building as the transmitter site. They could even have put the transmitter in the studio and run co-ax to the roof

 

[DavidEduardo]

That electricity would be covered with their rent. Assuming that the studio was in the same building as the transmitter site. They could even have put the transmitter in the studio and run co-ax to the roof

No matter how they did that, the building manager would figure it out. Too many people, new wires and stuff on the roof, etc.

In Argentina, we had a crew that went around the city all day, every day looking for pirates on or next to 98.3. When one was found, contact was made and the operator invited to stop. The building superintendent was shown radio laws, and the crew accessed the roof an destroyed the antenna and coax. The location was checked again every few days.

The crew had hacksaws, mallets and sledge hammers. They were armed. They found at least one pirate on or near our frequency every week. Ones that kept trying to come back on were pursued legally for "loss of business" in huge amounts using a very famous local law firm.

Other stations did similar activities. Since the market is so large (bigger population than New York City metro) it took a week just to cover all areas once, more if a pirate had to be deactivated.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

“there is the question of how the FCC will make these rules known to building managers.”

The FCC sends out a Notice of Violation before deciding on any enforcement action, and that potential $2 million fine will most assuredly get the building owner’s attention.

 

[DavidEduardo]

“there is the question of how the FCC will make these rules known to building managers.”

The FCC sends out a Notice of Violation before deciding on any enforcement action, and that potential $2 million fine will most assuredly get the building owner’s attention.

So they notify a building owner only if they actually find a pirate?

 

[Yabadabado1]

It was a few years ago, but I stumbled across what turned out to be a pirate in the Akron area [check the Cleveland thread, you may have to go back a ways to find the discussions]. I thought it was a new station because it was on a frequency that had been proposed for an LPFM that seemed to be taking forever to go on air. Wasn't till I heard the "F" bomb along with a few other expletives and a song called "F*** the Police] that got me thinking it wasn't quit a legit station but they were covering a good chunk of Akron with their signal After I mentioned it, I'm guessing several of the boards "upright citizens brigade" filed complaints with the FCC, the doo-doo hit the fan and I think it was roughly a month later the FCC located it broadcasting in, of all places, an office closet of a local attorney on the fringes of downtown Akron. Supposedly letting "friends" of his use his office as a broadcast facility because they were unable to find an affordable office.

 

[luperm]

But the building owner or manager would have to authorize wiring and construction, and require permits to do so or be subject to code violations.

Of course, there is the question of how the FCC will make these rules known to building managers.

Maybe the building owner authorizes the work, maybe not. It doesn’t relieve the owner of responsibility for what goes on at the property. That’s why there are leases with tenants. A lease should have protections and financial recourse for the building owner against the negligent or illegal actions of a tenant. If there’s no such protection for the owner and they allow (or are oblivious to) illegal activity…again, it’s a wonderful opportunity to gain valuable knowledge about being a landlord…instead of paying a college for that education, the landlord pays the FCC! Everybody wins!