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The email blast from the head of my son and daughter's theater group relayed a frantic plea: "We need to raise $16,000 before the upcoming spring performances," Anya Wallach, the executive director of Random Farms Kids' Theater, in Westchester, New York, wrote in late May. If the money didn't materialize in time, she warned, there could be a serious problem with the shows: nobody would hear the actors.
Random Farms, and tens of thousands of other theater companies, schools, churches, broadcasters, and myriad other interests across the country, need to buy new wireless microphones. The majority of professional wireless audio gear in America is about to become obsolete, and illegal to operate. The story of how we got to this strange point involves politics, business, science, and, of course, money.
Story: https://www.wired.com/story/wireless-mics-radio-frequencies-fcc-saga/
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 14 2018, @10:33AM (2 children)
There is a flip side of that coin. The FCC makes few secrets about it's ability to give and take spectrum. If you've ever looked into HAM or CB radio, you should be aware that the radio spectrum "belongs to" the government. You are welcome to use that spectrum, if you obey certain rules. Unlicensed radio traffic takes a back seat to any licensed traffic, always. That heirarchy puts these wireless microphones all the way at the bottom of the pyramid, even lower than CB radio, which is lower than HAM. Pretty much everything that requires a license is HAM level or higher.
Military and intell communications are at the top of the pyramid, and commercial enterprise occupies at least the rest of the top 2/3 of the pyramid.
We could argue about how "transparent" the FCC is, I suppose. I think they should get a B- or C+ because they do communicate their intentions. Few people understand anything about their intentions though, because they aren't interested until something like this happens.
Any person who has a desire, or interest, in influencing the FCC should probably get a tech license, and then read up on proposals. Pretty much all proposals are open for comment.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Tuesday August 14 2018, @06:53PM
I'd disagree with one point in your assessment -- in some respects, Ham operators actually do get priority. For example, in any state except New York, (which decided to craft a *very* precise and much less broad law instead) holding a ham license will get you exempted from laws banning operation of a police scanner while in a vehicle. The laws are intended to make it harder for a criminal's getaway driver to be sitting outside listening for the police response...but those laws tend to be broad enough that they get invalidated by the international treaties that allow ham operation on designated frequency bands. Nobody -- not your local government, not your state, not the FCC themselves -- can unilaterally prohibit ham operation the way they could with virtually any other transmitter, because they are bound by those treaties above their own authority.
I realize that Ham radio isn't the only band backed by treaties...but in the US, international treaties have precedence above even federal law. It is not at all a simple process to overrule or revoke those bands. It's certainly got a better level of protection than any designation made solely by the FCC.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Tuesday August 14 2018, @11:01PM
It is certainly regulated by the government, but in the U.S. that government is obligated to be of, by, and for the people (how well it lives up to that is hotly debated, of course). I don't question that the FCC is the relevant regulatory authority nor that regulation is necessary. I simply believe it shouldn't simply pull the rug out from under a bunch of small users to favor a larger user without some sort of compensation. Consider, when property is taken by eminent domain, there is a requirement to pay fair market value for it. Surely paying moving expenses for moving a bunch of people off of a band of spectrum is reasonable.
Of course, after the scandal of the net neutrality comment period that was NOT hacked, you'll have to forgive me for being a bit of a skeptic regarding comments to the FCC.