[cma-l] Four hundred pirate radio setups shut down in London in just two years

[CMA-L]

Regulators have raided nearly 400 suspected pirate radio setups in London
over the last two years, the Standard
<http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/four-hundred-pirate-radio-stations-shut-down-in-london-in-just-two-years-10362974.html>
can reveal.

Figures released by Ofcom in response to a Freedom of Information request
show nearly a quarter of the raids took place in Haringey, north London,
while 90 resulted in equipment being seized.

Lambeth, south London, was the next biggest offender, with more than 50
raids on suspected pirates between April 2013 and March this year.

The communications regulator says internet radio and the introduction of
community broadcasting licences have taken away some of the incentive for
pirates to broadcast.

But pirate stations remain a problem because they can interfere with vital
comms channels used by the emergency services.

"It's not about raising revenue," Clive Corrie, Ofcom's head of spectrum
enforcement, told the Standard. "It's about protecting the spectrum from
harmful interference.

"Last year Ofcom received 53 complaints of interference to aviation
services - ground-to-air radio location and radio navigation systems."

Of the 53 complaints, 48 related to the London area.

Mr Corrie added the problem was largely confined to the capital, though the
reason for this has experts at something of a loss.

"It's a big problem, especially in London," he said. "There are about 70
active stations in the London area. In the whole of the UK we've got
something like just over 100.

"From the enquiries we've carried out, this problem doesn't exist in New
York or Rome or Paris - it's a London phenomenon."

The true figures are likely to be even higher - councils don't have to tell
Ofcom when they raid pirate radio setups.

Hackney Council revealed last month it had dismantled 29 masts and
transmitters being used by pirate broadcasters in 12 months - only five of
which are recorded in the FOI disclosure given to the Standard.

Aviation doesn't use the same bandwidth as FM radio but because the
home-made transmitters are typically a dozen times stronger than community
radio equipment - sometimes up to 300 Watts - and are often poorly
installed, they can inadvertently take over higher frequencies.

Corrie added pirates typically chose tower blocks on high ground, and often
hide equipment in lift shafts and air vents - not just to stop authorities
from getting to it, but also to protect it from other pirate groups. "It's
a bit of a Wild West situation," he said.

Among the council raids in Hackney this year was one on the Summit Estate,
Upper Clapton.

Hackney's housing chief Cllr Philip Glanville said: "Surprisingly, this
type of activity is still quite common, and can have an impact on the lives
of our residents."

Three years ago, the Army inadvertently raided an illegal dance music
station in north-east London.

Soldiers stumbled upon a group of "young men" broadcasting from Highfield
Towers in Collier Row as they set up surveillance equipment ahead of the
Olympics.

Source:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/four-hundred-pirate-radio-stations-shut-down-in-london-in-just-two-years-10362974.html

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