America has always been stronger when we have not only proclaimed free speech, but listened to it.
- Presidential candidate John Kerry
Freedom of speech, a birth given right that all humans share, yet many governments, religious groups, and even individuals want it squelched. It's all censorship in one form or another. And broadcasting companies like it that way since they can profit from the rules.
Much of the content here addresses the United States, however the generalities can be applied almost everywhere.
THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED
And the revolution has begun.
It should be noted that broadcasting without authorization is very illegal in most of the world.
What is Pirate Radio?:
Pirate radio generally refers to illegal broadcasting. By some it refers to unwanted types of broadcasting or broadcasts. Broadcasts across a country's border may be undesired by that government and although legal in its point of origin deemed a pirate signal by said country. Radio Luxembourg beginning in the 1960's for example, beaming signals into the U.K. Technically it isn't a pirate operation.
And then there's clandestine radio, broadcasts most often BY GOVERNMENT, used for propaganda. This has been going on since the inception of radio. An example is Radio Marti from the United States broadcasting in Spanish to Cuba. Cuba has jammed the transmission that costs the U.S. $15 million each year. There are several of these stations around the world today. This isn't pirate radio either.
Webcasts are not pirate radio.
These things are all interesting but real pirate radio is illegal, unlicensed, bootleg, and free radio. In the United States the stations primarily operate as a form of free speech challenging the FCC's rules regarding content and ownership. This differs slightly in countries with a more authoritarian government where the station's content is often more political and/or must be government approved. The United States however is becoming more authoritarian.
History:
Beginning in the 1960s, mainly in the U.K., off-shore radio was popular. Strong transmitters were installed on boats that would sit in international waters broadcasting into the mainland. Until 1973 there were no commercial stations in the U.K., all broadcasting was run by the government. A few of these were around the U.S.
Today these bootleg broadcasts are land based and normally low powered.
One of, if not the most famous was Radio Free Berkeley, operated by Steven Dunifer. He was engaged in a battle with the FCC in the mid-90's. In the end Free Radio Berkeley stopped transmitting, only to be replaced by Berkeley Liberation Radio.
Listening:
You can hear some very inventive and entertaining programs on unlicensed radio. Typically you find their signals between 1620 and 1710kHz on AM, near the bottom of the dial on FM, and between 6800 and 6955 Khz on SW focused at 6925kHz. With LPFM and translators popping up all over it's getting more difficult to find FM pirates, and they are using the entire band. You will need a good radio, especially for Short Wave. Remember the signals are low power.
Free Radio:
Free radio is just that, FREE. Do, say, play, anything you want. It's the ultimate example of free speech. A common misconception in the United States is the idea that everyone has the right or deserves to be heard. You will hear people make that statement quite often. It is not true. The U.S. has freedom of speech, you can say or print anything you want, but nobody MUST listen, there is no right to be heard. However this freedom does not extend to broadcasting according to the government. Censorship comes from the idea that people WILL hear you say things you shouldn't say. But nobody HAS to listen, if you don't like what you hear, turn it off, change the station, buy a different news paper, etc. Another common misconception is that only the "premium" channels on cable and satellite are forgiven from censorship. Also false. Cable and satellite TV and Radio are NOT subject to the FCC content rules. Yet with few exceptions the content is censored. The providers censor themselves. They've made that decision for their benefit. The idea that broadcast radio is incapable of censoring itself is plain silly. Sure there'd be vulgarity, on a station that chooses to allow it. But not everyone wants to hear it, and to target those listeners another station will disallow vulgarity. Case closed. (The FCC however is trying to go after cable and satellite too.) In addition to profane words there are also regulations against advertising certain products or services, political advertising, smoking (except for talking about quitting), and gambling (unless you offer help for gambling addiction). Yet the State-run lottery is perfectly acceptable.
"The FCC had no interest in censorship, only in promoting a reasonable balance between profits and public service."
-Newton Minow, former chairman of the FCC
Not Anarchy:
There does exist the need for some regulation of the airwaves. If food producers or automobile makers had no regulation it could present dangers to the public. Laws are in place to protect private property. Broadcasting should be no different. A radio transmission of any kind that interfered with public safety communications such as fire protection is certainly a concern. Interference with air traffic control could obviously be dangerous. And if a commercial broadcaster is granted a "public interest" license they SHOULD be protected from others trespassing on their signal. Responsible unlicensed operators realize this and respect it. The FCC should respect them. And naturally without a license you have no protection under the law against interference. The FCC can be beneficial in insuring quality of service. There is also the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA. The NTIA regulates the government's use of the radio spectrum and makes recommendations to the FCC and works with the ITU and FCC on spectrum use. The NTIA belongs to the Executive branch (White House) compared to the FCC created by the Congress with chairpersons appointed by the President. Trespassing on military communications would also be a bad idea.
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