Free Radio Santa Cruz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Free Radio Santa Cruz (FRSC) is a pirate radio station in Santa Cruz, California, USA. The station has been on the air since Spring, 1995; its broadcast content is a mix of daily news, music, and cultural programs, produced both locally and nationally. Politically, many of the shows can be characterized as progressive, leftist, and/or anarchist.
Because FRSC does not have a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the station is in open violation of US federal regulations. The station argues that it does not need such a license because the licensing process and fees imposed by the federal government effectively amount to an unjustifiable restriction upon speech, a violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
On September 29, 2004, the station was raided by agents of the FCC, backed by federal marshalls armed with assault rifles. No arrests were made, but the agents shut down the station and physically seized nearly all of the equipment, including computers, mixing boards, microphones, headphones, CD players, and CDs. The equipment was never returned.
However, with a strong showing of community support, the station was streaming online again within 48 hours and transmitting at 101.1 FM less than a month after the raid. FRSC continues to stream and broadcast 24 hours a day.
