H.R. 5709 · 115th Congress
Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act
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Passed the House without a recorded vote, then expired. It passed by voice vote or unanimous consent, which don't record how each member voted, but didn't become law before the 115th Congress ended.
R
LanceSponsor14 cosponsors · 8 D, 6 R
R
Bilirakis
CC
R
Collins
DD
D
Dingell
BF
R
Flores
JF
R
Faso
GG
D
Green
PK
R
King
CM
D
Maloney
SM
D
Maloney
SM
D
Moulton
KR
D
Rice
PT
D
Tonko
NV
D
Velázquez
MB
R
Blackburn13 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
- House Introduced May 8, 2018
- House Passed Jul 23, 2018
Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act or the PIRATE Act
What it does: CRS summary · Passed House amended · Jul 23, 2018
Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act or the PIRATE Act
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to address unlicensed radio broadcasting (called "pirating"), including:
- increasing the fine for a pirate radio broadcasting violation to not more than $2 million,
- imposing a fine of up to $100,000 per day for pirating violations subject to the $2 million limit, and
- establishing a fine of up to $2 million for any person who facilitates pirate radio broadcasting ("facilitating" includes providing access to property or providing physical goods or services).
The FCC must: (1) annually report to Congress summarizing implementation of this bill and associated enforcement activities for the previous fiscal year; and (2) at least once a year, assign appropriate enforcement personnel to focus specific and sustained attention on the elimination of pirate radio broadcasting within the top five radio markets.
The FCC may not preempt any state or local law prohibiting pirate radio broadcasting.
The FCC shall: (1) revise its rules to require that, absent good cause, in any case alleging a violation, it shall proceed directly to issue a Notice of Apparent Liability without first issuing a Notice of Unlicensed Operations; and (2) publish a database of all licensed radio stations operating in the AM and FM bands, which shall be easily accessible from the FCC home page, identifying each licensed station and all entities that have received a Notice of Unlicensed Operation, Notice of Apparent Liability, or Forfeiture Order by the FCC.
(Sec. 3) No additional funds are authorized to carry out this bill.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act
Also known as: PIRATE Act
Latest action (Jul 24, 2018): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications · Origin: House · Introduced: May 8, 2018
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
- House Introduced May 8, 2018
- House Passed Jul 23, 2018
No recorded floor vote found.