In South Florida the hunt is on for broadcasters of a pirate hip-hop radio station calling itself ‘Da Streetz’ after airline pilots heard music whilst trying to communicate.
Authorities immediately raided a two-story warehouse in Opa-locka where they found and confiscated three computers, a monitor, a mixing board, a stereo compressor, a microphone, a two-deck CD player, a telephone, a DSL modem, two stereo speakers, three gray three-ring binders and 10 cases filled with CDs.
But there was no radio transmitter, no DJ, and therefore, no arrests.
“This is still an open case,'' said Paige Patterson-Hughes, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman. Meanwhile Da Streetz is still broadcasting intermittently which worries the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Clear communication between air control and the pilots is a critical part of flying,'' said an FAA spokesperson.
South Florida has long been seen as a haven for pirate radio stations, with between nine and twenty stations broadcasting at any one time. However earlier this year a new law was introduced which made illegal broadcasting a third-degree felony. This allowed aggressive pursuit of the stations, and so far, five have been shut down.
The pirate stations argue that commercial stations ignore both the music they provide and the audience they broadcast it to. They offer an alternative to limited playlists at no charge.
The Florida Association of Broadcasters sees things differently. “They get a kick out of it. They laugh at everybody,' said the president of the organization.
The FAA has launched thirty different investigations into pirate radio stations within the last decade after interference with pilot communications was reported.
Authorities immediately raided a two-story warehouse in Opa-locka where they found and confiscated three computers, a monitor, a mixing board, a stereo compressor, a microphone, a two-deck CD player, a telephone, a DSL modem, two stereo speakers, three gray three-ring binders and 10 cases filled with CDs.
But there was no radio transmitter, no DJ, and therefore, no arrests.
“This is still an open case,'' said Paige Patterson-Hughes, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman. Meanwhile Da Streetz is still broadcasting intermittently which worries the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Clear communication between air control and the pilots is a critical part of flying,'' said an FAA spokesperson.
South Florida has long been seen as a haven for pirate radio stations, with between nine and twenty stations broadcasting at any one time. However earlier this year a new law was introduced which made illegal broadcasting a third-degree felony. This allowed aggressive pursuit of the stations, and so far, five have been shut down.
The pirate stations argue that commercial stations ignore both the music they provide and the audience they broadcast it to. They offer an alternative to limited playlists at no charge.
The Florida Association of Broadcasters sees things differently. “They get a kick out of it. They laugh at everybody,' said the president of the organization.
The FAA has launched thirty different investigations into pirate radio stations within the last decade after interference with pilot communications was reported.
