A Can of Worms: Pirate Radio as Public Intransigence on the Public Airwaves

A Can of Worms: Pirate Radio as Public Intransigence on the Public Airwaves

John Anderson of DIYmedia.com shares his masters thesis, the most comprehensive examination of legal arguments and court cases involving unlicensed radio stations. The entire documet is attached as a PDF here, or see the Table of Contents below.

Contents
Preface i
Chapter 1. UNLICENSED BROADCASTING AS RADIO HISTORY 1
Scope of Study 3; Organizational Outline of Chapters 5; Overview of Source Material 8;
Notes to Chapter 1 14

Chapter 2. CONTEMPORARY TREATMENT OF UNLICENSED BROADCASTING 16
Real-World Constraints on FCC Enforcement 18; Engagement at the Administrative
Level 21; Notes to Chapter 2 30

Chapter 3. EARLY RADIO LICENSING AUTHORITY: A CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE 36
1912-1927: Undermined from the Inside 36; 1927/34 Legislation, “Public interest,
convenience, and necessity,” and “Access” to the Airwaves 41; Notes to Chapter 3 46

Chapter 4. LEGAL REFINEMENT OF FCC LICENSING AUTHORITY 50
Bedrocks Established in Case Law, 1943-1969 55; FCC License Authority and
Enforcement Effectiveness, 1970-1989 60; Notes to Chapter 4 67

Chapter 5. MICRORADIO: FOCUSED CHALLENGE TO THE LICENSING REGIME 72
Stephen Dunifer and Free Radio Berkeley’s “Can of Worms” 73; Other Notable
Microradio Cases 78; Microradio and FCC Field Enforcement 82; Notes to Chapter 5 88

Chapter 6. THE FCC AND LPFM 95
Congressional Meddling Into LPFM 98; Microradio Challenges to the LPFM Rules 101;
Unlicensed Broadcasting in a Post-LPFM World 105; Notes to Chapter 6 114

Chapter 7. CONCLUSIONS 124
Recommendations for Future Research 129; Notes to Chapter 7 133

Bibliographic Index 134
Selected Bibliography of Books, Dissertations, and Theses 135; Selected Bibliography of
Journal Articles 139; Case Law, Federal Code, and Congressional Documents Reference
List 142; Bibliography of FCC Documents 147; Works Cited: Popular Press 151; Works
Cited: Online and Other 153