Unlicensed broadcasting, also called pirate broadcasting is a term used for any type of

broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting beg ...

without a

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which vary f ...

. Some unlicensed broadcasting, such as certain low-power broadcasting, may be legal. For example, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Title 47 CFR Part 15 Code of Federal Regulations, 'Title 47, Part 15(47 CFR 15) is an oft-quoted part of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations regarding unlicensed transmissions. It is a part of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CF ...

(or "part 15"), is a regulation that allows unlicensed broadcasting within a range of just a few meters. Legal broadcast methods may include

ISM band The ISM radio bands are portions of the radio spectrum reserved internationally for industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) purposes, excluding applications in telecommunications. Examples of applications for the use of radio frequency (RF) ener ...

s, used legally at low power to broadcast for personal use, a

video sender A video sender (also known as a DigiSender, wireless video sender, AV sender or audio-video sender) is a device for transmitting domestic audio and video signals wirelessly from one location to another. It is most commonly used for sending the out ...

, used to distribute video (sometimes wireless security cameras) within a home or small business, or FM transmitters, used to transmit satellite radio or digital media players to stereo systems which have no wired input (i.e. car radios). The term "pirate broadcasting," by contrast, is almost always used to indicate broadcasting that is illegal, particularly as applied to

pirate radio Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially ...

and

pirate television A pirate television station is a broadcast television station that operates without a broadcast license. Like its counterpart pirate radio, the term pirate TV lacks a specific universal interpretation. It implies a form of broadcasting that is u ...

. The justifications usually given for legal prohibitions on broadcasting include the need to keep certain broadcast frequencies open for emergency communications, the need to control the broadcasting of material that is

obscene An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be us ...

or violates

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...

s, and the preservation of government revenue derived from licensing airwaves.

See also