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FCC 2, Republic of Texas Pirates 0
7 January 2010 | by In November I reported about Raymond Frank, the pirate radio station operator busted by the FCC who claimed that as "a citizen of the Republic of Texas" he wasn't subject to the laws of the United States or the Commission’s Rules. Frank allegedly operated a pirate radio station on 100.1 and 90.1 Mhz in Austin, Republic of Texas.
Anthony Good, K3NG, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Pennsylvania, USA. Contact him at [email protected].More Texans are attempting to use this problematic yet creative defense. Jerry and Deborah Stevens, who allegedly spewed RF on a frequency of 90.1 Mhz on your radio dial, also in Austin, the Republic of Texas, submitted a response to the Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) denying that the Commission has jurisdiction over this matter and requested that "the matter be dropped". Mr. and Mrs. Stevens claimed the station operated only within the boundaries of the Republic of Texas, and questioned the FCC's jurisdiction over intrastate communications.
The FCC answered the question very clearly, giving essentially the same answer as Mr. Frank received, with a serving of Section 301 garnished with a $10,000 fine. We assume that has to be paid in US dollars and not Texan Republic currency. Once again 90.1 goes dark in Austin.
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