Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency, Anatel, has worked to shut down several illegal radio and TV stations across parts of the country.

The raids, all detailed in the last few weeks by Anatel, have seen the regulator work with Brazilian police to shut down several pirate radio and TV stations, while also seizing illegal equipment.

It marks a significant clampdown on the stations, as the regulator seeks to fight back against illegal use of radio frequency.

According to Anatel, the operation of pirate radio stations poses a major risk, in particular to aviation safety and interference with existing telecommunications frequencies.

“These stations broadcast on unauthorized frequencies, interfering with communications between pilots and control towers, which can lead to serious accidents. Furthermore, operating pirate radio stations is a crime, with penalties that can include imprisonment and fines,” said Anatel in a statement.

During one such raid last month on July 22, Anatel’s regional office in Rio Grande do Sul (GR05) shut down a pirate radio station operating illegally in the municipality of Santa Cruz do Sul, while working with Federal Police.

On that occasion, the illegal station, which broadcast on the 91.3 MHz frequency, was installed in a former telecommunications station and used a 1,000 W transmitter, giving it a wide coverage area. Anatel said the Federal Police arrested the owner of the station, who will be charged with unauthorized use of radio frequencies.

Elsewhere, another pirate radio station, Pantanarri FM, was shut down in the first week of August, which served the municipality of Oiapoque (AP), near the border region with French Guiana.

A specialized drone was used by Anatel to locate the station, which was surrounded by woodland.

“This technology is crucial to the success of operations because, in addition to increasing the efficiency of inspection teams, it ensures greater safety for field agents,” said Gesiléa Teles, superintendent of inspection, Anatel.

According to Anatel, the individual was arrested and released on bail. The transmitter used was seized and sent to Anatel headquarters in Macapá, AP, for technical evaluation.

It wasn’t just radio shows being shut down. An illegal TV station, with around 30,000 users, was also raided last week.

As noted by Anatel, an operation dubbed ‘Ghost of the Network’ shut down an illegal TV station operating in the eastern zone of São Paulo on Tuesday last week (August 12). The joint operation, organized by Anatel São Paulo and the São Paulo Civil Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, sought to stop piracy of TV signals illegally distributed by Internet providers.

The investigation led them to a two-story residential building. At the property, police found the equipment required to provide the service, plus complete customer service infrastructure, including a call center where operators managed the network using dedicated software.

On top of providing a pay TV service, the provider also offered Internet access to customers.

Anatel noted that various uncertified or expired telecommunications equipment (WiFi routers, cables, etc.) were also located inside the property, all of which were seized.

Two individuals responsible were arrested, and as of the last update, one of them remains in custody by court order.

Unauthorized operation of mobile sites on farms

In a fourth such release put out by Anatel, the regulator noted that an investigation last month found illegal telecommunications systems at several farms in the southern region of Piauí.

Inspections took place in the municipalities of Baixa Grande do Ribeiro, Ribeiro Gonçalves, and Santa Filomena at six properties.

At three properties, agents found unauthorized operation of fixed and mobile stations of the Limited Private Service (LP). The farms were fined, while Anatel seized VHF transceiver radios and a repeater station on two of them.

Anatel added that enforcement agents traveled 2,590km on poor roads and faced difficulties locating the rural properties during the investigation.

LPS is a restricted telecommunications service. It’s operated nationally and internationally, under the private regime.

It covers multiple applications such as data communication, video and audio signals, voice and text, plus the capture and transmission of scientific data related to Earth exploration by satellite.

In 2023, Dutch police shut down a pirate Internet protocol television (IPTV) operation.

The pirate operation was brought down on May 23, 2023, by a series of raids across the Netherlands in Amsterdam, Almere, Enschede, The Hague, and Den Helder, and brought down the TVs in hundreds of thousands of homes, according to Dutch anti–piracy group BREIN.