Pirate operators who interfere with aviation communications will face up to five years in jail.
Simultaneously with the negotiations to bring Shas into the coalition, the government has acted against pirate radio stations, or "sacred channels" as Shas calls them. The government has stiffened the punishments for pirate radio operators and their advertisers.
The Knesset Economics Committee has approved a government bill, which criminalizes acts, for its second and third readings. The new bill threatens radio broadcasters with up to three years imprisonment for broadcasting without a license on frequencies allocated for communications with planes entering and leaving Israeli airspace and for plane navigation devices at Ben Gurion Airport.
Broadcasters convicted of negligence by interfering with aviation communications or safety can expect up to five years in prison. The bill also stipulates up to one year imprisonment or a fine for advertisers on pirate radio stations, thereby rendering the advertising uneconomical.
The bill also authorizes the Israel Police to search pirate radio stations without a warrant, provided that the police has reason to believe that the station is interfering with aviation communications.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on July 25, 2004