At Our Deadline
Wireless microphones would have to clear out of the 700 MHz band by June 12 if the FCC adopts an order circulated late Thursday by Chairman Julius Genachowski, an FCC staffer told us. The draft order includes a temporary…
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waiver authorizing microphones’ use until the DTV transition’s one-year anniversary, and also sets up an extensive outreach program to educate what the FCC believes is a significant number of affected users, the staffer said. The outreach effort would include requiring manufacturers and retailers to give consumers clear notice about how microphones are licensed, the staffer said. The draft order also includes a further notice of proposed rulemaking on the long-term of status of wireless microphones both within and outside of the TV bands. The order is “necessary and essential” to finish the DTV transition and “ensure public safety and commercial users don’t experience interference in the 700 MHz band,” the source said. Commissioners have been briefed on the item, but it’s not yet clear if they will vote on the item at the FCC’s Jan. 20 meeting or earlier, the staffer said.