The FCC has changed its website portal for filing interference complaints, including pirate radio complaints. The Commission has established two separate portals. One portal is for “licensees” and the other portal is for “consumers.”
Licensee Complaints: If your station has an interference complaint, you must file that complaint on the new ESIX Portal. This includes all types of interference, including interference from pirate radio operations. Here are the steps…
Step 1: Go to the FCC’s main webpage here.
About halfway down the page, you will see a box entitled "Access Now." In that box, you will see PSIX-ESIX. PSIX stands for Public Safety Interference and ESIX stands for Enterprise Interference.
Step 2: Click on the PSIX-ESIX link.
Step 3: You will see three boxes on this page. Click the box entitled Enterprise Interference.
Step 4: Answer all the questions on the Enterprise Interference Complaint Form. Please note that you will need your FCC FRN NUMBER.
These complaints will go directly to the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and will be given priority. Importantly you need to indicate that you are receiving interference. Remember if you are receiving interference from pirate stations, that is also interfering with your EAS messages. You should indicate this on the complaint form.
Consumer Complaints: Consumer complaints go to the FCC’s Consumer Division and do not go directly to the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. (Because they are not licensees they cannot use the ESIX portal described above.) Nonetheless, the Enforcement Bureau will monitor these complaints on a regular basis.
Thus, if you are receiving interference complaints from viewers and listeners, direct them to the CONSUMER COMPLAINT web portal. This would include pirate radio interference complaints. Here is the process…
Step 1: Go to the FCC’s main webpage here.
Step 2: On the right-hand side of the page, click on the box that says "File a Consumer Complaint."
Step 3: You will see several boxes. For pirate radio complaints, click on the box with the picture of the radio microphone.
Step 4: Fill in all the information. Importantly, you will see a box entitled “Radio Issues” with a drop-down feature. Click on the arrow until it displays “Pirate/Unauthorized” Operation. Also, consumers may upload additional information, such as where they hear the pirate station.
Since the ESIX (interference complaint) will go directly to the Enforcement Bureau, we hope this will expedite the complaint process. However, it does appear to be more complex. Separating the consumer complaints from the licensee complaints seems to complicate matters. We will keep a close watch on this new process.