Congressional Arts Caucus Prepping Letter to FCC on Wireless Mics
The Congressional Arts Caucus' co-chairs are preparing a letter to FCC Chairman Pai and the other commissioners that will urge the commission “to retain the ability of wireless microphones in the performing arts to register in the database” to protect…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
against interference. The two co-chairs are Reps. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and Leonard Lance, R-N.J., vice chairman of the Communications Subcommittee. “As the Commission reviews the results of the spectrum auctions, we write to stress the importance of wireless microphones to the performing arts which rely on this efficient and reliable technology,” they said in a draft of the letter, citing commission action in 2014 ruling “that performing arts entities regularly using 50 or more wireless devices would be eligible to apply for a Part 74 license and would have access to a database which protects against interference,” a “move in the right direction and [that] protects some large events and performances against interference from White Space devices.” But the FCC’s choice to leave out performing arts entities utilizing fewer than 50 devices regularly would “leave major not-for-profit regional theatres, and our nation’s symphony orchestras, opera companies, dance companies, presenting organizations and educational entities without interference protection against White Space devices.” The agency should “develop rules which preserve the quality and integrity of wireless microphones used in the performing arts,” said the draft. The deadline for other lawmakers to sign the letter is Friday, and a House aide told us the current hope is to send the letter to the FCC that day.