[cma-l] Tackling pirate radio could save Londoners £1 million

[CMA-L]

   - Pirate radio harms residents, communities and the emergency services
   - New crackdown could save London £1m each year
   - Ofcom offers legal access to airwaves for broadcasters

A new approach to tackling pirate radio has eradicated the problem in one
London borough, and could save up to £1 million for Londoners by being
rolled out across the capital.

Pirate radio harms local communities and the critical communications used
by the emergency services. Ofcom, which manages radio frequencies, is
hosting a summit on 3 November to explore the new approach to tackling the
problem.

Pirate stations typically use high-rise buildings for their broadcasts,
with illegal transmitters installed on rooftops or hidden in lift shafts.
This damages residential properties owned by local authorities, disrupting
residents’ lives and putting people at risk from falling equipment.

Ofcom has been working in north London, one of the UK’s most affected
areas, with housing body Homes for Haringey. In 2014, 19 pirate radio
stations were illegally broadcasting in Haringey. By quickly removing their
transmitters and regularly patrolling and securing rooftops, pirate radio
has now been eradicated in the borough.

As a result, Homes for Haringey has saved £90,000 in enforcement and
maintenance costs over the past year.

On 3 November, Ofcom is meeting with local authorities from across London
to share the success of the Homes for Haringey partnership. If this
collaborative and proactive approach is rolled out across the capital,
local authorities stand to save an estimated total of £1 million per year.1

Clive Corrie, Head of Ofcom’s Spectrum Enforcement team, said: "Illegal
broadcasting harms local communities and risks lives by interfering with
vital communications used by the emergency services and air traffic control.

"By working in partnership with local authorities, Ofcom is tackling this
problem. We also strongly urge those broadcasting illegally to get involved
with internet or community radio, a legitimate route on to the airwaves.”

Astrid Kjellberg-Obst, Executive Director of Operations at Homes for
Haringey, said: "Pirate radio stations damage people’s homes and can be
extremely distressing to our residents.

"We’ve seen huge success in tackling the problem with the measures that
we’ve introduced, removing all pirate radio stations from Haringey and
saving the borough tens of thousands of pounds in the process. We will
continue to work with Ofcom to keep Haringey pirate-free.”

Source: http://media.ofcom.org.uk/news/2015/pirate-radio-summit

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