More Changes Afoot in the FCC’s Frequency Allocation Program
Back in 2008, when the FCC auctioned the 700 MHz portion of the UHF band (698 to 806 MHz), the audio industry took a huge hit on our ability to use wireless devices. Operation of wireless mics was prohibited in the 700 MHz region, a part of the UHF spectrum we had come to rely upon quite a bit. Vacating that space has put tremendous pressure on manufacturers to push wireless audio technology at an accelerated rate, and they certainly have responded with developments in alternate frequency bands, digital wireless technology and even re-examining the VHF band, which we had all but abandoned long ago.
So imagine the audio industry’s horror in 2012 when we learned that Congress authorized the FCC to conduct a second auction of UHF spectrum for broadband use, this time the 600 MHz range — another UHF band widely used by pro audio.
Let’s Make a (Frequency) Deal
We aren’t the only ones who use that spectrum. There are plenty of TV stations that live there too. Known as the Incentive Auction, the FCC approached owners of TV stations with the idea of “we’ll auction your channel to broadband companies. You can set the price. We’ll factor in clearing costs and other expenses. It’s a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, but it’s voluntary…” That is why it was called the Incentive Auction.
Many station owners embraced the idea and set a target price for their frequency. Some set prices that were way too high, and broadband companies balked. The auction started on March 29, 2016 and is proceeding in “Stages,” the initial idea being that the FCC would put all of the 600 MHz and part of the 500 MHz spectrum on the auction block. If the bids didn’t reach a certain threshold, the FCC would reduce the amount of spectrum on the auction block and try it again. If that didn’t work, they’d reduce the spectrum and try yet again.
A Little Good News — and Then Some
The worst-case scenario for the audio industry would be the loss of almost 150 MHz of bandwidth. As Sennheiser USA’s director of spectrum affairs Joe Ciaudelli explains, “When the report and order was originally published, it included the possibility of re-purposed spectrum extending down as low as 548 MHz. At the time the auction opened, the two worst-case scenarios for the audio industry were already taken off the table because not enough TV station owners were willing to participate, and the auction started at 566 MHz — not 548 MHz as we initially feared. Now that we have progressed to Stage 4 of the auction, that lower limit is at 614 MHz. When you compare that to the worst-case possibility, it’s considerably more favorable to us.”
Stage 4 commenced shortly before this issue of FRONT of HOUSE went to press, with a clearing “target” of 84 MHz of bandwidth — far from the 150 MHz initially proposed.
There’s more good news. The audio industry was given concessions by the FCC under the assumption that the auction could reach down to the target of 548 MHz that was originally published. One of the concessions was pro audio access to prime spectrum in the 941 to 960 MHz range. Licensed broadcasters have always had access to a portion of that range (944 to 952 MHz), but other licensed wireless microphone operators did not. For example, a production company working on an entertainment broadcast for a major TV network would qualify to apply for a license to operate wireless mics in that band. Venues and sound companies currently operating in the 500 MHz and 600 MHz bands who still require more channels may now expand their use into 941 to 960 MHz, as long as they are licensed.
Getting Your License
“To qualify for a license,” Ciaudelli explains, “you must be a sound company or venue that ‘routinely’ uses 50 or more wireless mics. Many interpret that as meaning at least 51 percent of the time. It does not stipulate that you must do a specific number of events per year. This was not true a few years ago, and many sound companies are now eligible to apply for a license.” [Editor’s Note: Remember that the phrase “wireless mics” as used here also includes IEMs, instrument systems, com systems and IFB]. “A common theme in these rulings is that the FCC is making a clear distinction between unlicensed and licensed wireless mic operation. The point is that, if you are eligible, you should apply for the license.”
Ciaudelli’s last comment is key: As an
industry, the only way we can protect the spectrum made available to us is by applying for licensed use. Going forward, a lackadaisical attitude in filing for licensed wireless operation could under-represent the amount of wireless microphone use and jeopardize our position.
The “Secret” Wireless Band
The other important frequency range that we now may access is 1,435 to 1,525 MHz, also called the 1.4 GHz band. This is a frequency range used for flight training communications by government and private sectors. The FCC is opening this to licensed microphone operators doing mega-events such as the World Series, Grammy Awards, the Super Bowl or events where people are using 100 wireless mics or more. As Ciaudelli reveals, “If there is no flight training in progress on the day of your event at a particular location, this is really clean spectrum. You have to submit an application for your events to an agency called AFTRCC (Aerospace and Flight Test Radio Coordinating Council; aftrcc.org), who coordinates this frequency range and will review and approve use of this range for large-scale events using wireless microphones.
“Wireless equipment operating in this range will employ electronic key technology, and AFTRCC will provide a digital code that is loaded into the equipment. The equipment will need location awareness and a real-time clock so that it knows that a particular electronic key is valid in a certain city on a certain date and time. Location and time of day will be verified in order for the gear to operate. This is generally clean spectrum and should be highly reliable. The downside is that you have to go through the AFTRCC approval process and there will be a fee involved with the application.” [Rumor has it that the fee would be somewhere around $300 — ed.] “Flight training generally happens Monday through Friday during daylight hours. Most major entertainment broadcast events happen in the evening and on weekends, so there is some symbiosis. Of course, flight training can happen at any time in any location but, for instance, they’re not doing a lot of that over Manhattan, so Broadway shows may benefit from access to this range.”
Reorganization of the 600 MHz band will also yield small slivers within the repurposed spectrum called the Guard Band and the Duplex Gap where wireless mic users will be allowed to operate (see sidebar, page 48).
And the Rest…
This is all encouraging news for pro audio power users, but what about wireless users who fall outside that realm? Medium-to-large regional sound companies that cover a few states doing festivals should meet the FCC criteria for “licensed user” but, obviously, weekend warriors won’t. The WW’s can use wireless in the 2.4 GHz band, which is quite useful and reliable for certain applications, but you wouldn’t hand a 2.4 GHz wireless microphone to Adele — especially if she were performing outdoors on a stage in downtown Chicago.
There are many venues and sound companies on the fringe of eligibility to apply for license. As an example, take a local not-for-profit theater that uses 30 or so channels of wireless. Many such venues run highly professional productions, but they are not eligible for license in the eyes of the FCC because they don’t routinely use 50 or more wireless microphones. Perhaps they’ll expand their wireless use to meet the mark, but they’re caught in the middle, and that’s a situation where pro audio still has to apply some lobbying efforts. Ciaudelli’s message to the FCC has been that “unlicensed does not equate to unprofessional.”
What to Do Next
Weekend warriors can also opt for purchasing a wireless system that does not tune above 608 MHz UHF. Those bands will be completely safe, even with the auction at its current stage. When the Incentive Auction ends, the FCC will do a “repacking analysis” to relocate the affected TV stations, a process likely to take several months. When that is complete, they will publish the results and a 39-month clock starts ticking. “Bottom line: we have a little more than three years,”
Ciaudelli says, “so plan to finish your transition by 2020. It’s an easy number to remember.”
For more information and a detailed explanation of the FCC Incentive Auction process, be sure to visitwww.fcc.gov/about-fcc/fcc-
initiatives/incentive-auctions/how-it-works.
Steve “Woody” La Cerra is the tour manager and front of house engineer for Blue Öyster Cult. He would like to thank Joe
Ciaudelli for help in preparation of this article.
Operating in the Guard Band & Duplex Gap
By Joe Ciaudelli
An 11 MHz buffer range known as the duplex gap will exist between the forthcoming 600 MHz uplink and downlink mobile broadband blocks. There will be no devices allowed to operate in the lowest megahertz, adjacent to the downlink block. The next 4 MHz will be for licensed mic operators exclusively (not shared with white space devices). This will be particularly useful for electronic news gathering (ENG) crews covering spontaneous events. The upper 6 MHz of the duplex gap will be shared by unlicensed mics and white space devices.
A lower guard band separating mobile broadband from TV broadcast or channel 37 will exist. The size will depend on which stage the auction closes. There will be no devices allowed to operate in the upper Megahertz, adjacent to the downlink block. In the example scenario 7 (if auction closes in Stage 4), wireless mics would have exclusive use of the remaining 2 MHz (614 – 616 MHz). If the auction continues beyond stage 4, a majority portion of each guard band will be shared between unlicensed mics and consumer WSD’s (White Space Devices), but 2 MHz or 4 MHz will be exclusive to mics, depending on which band plan scenario plays out, as shown in Fig. 1.
Microphone transmitters will be limited to 20 mW effective radiated output power when operating in the guard band or duplex gap. A factor to also consider is that the guard band and duplex gap are buffers that avoid interference between adjacent services and thus may have out-of-band emissions (basically noise) from those services. Therefore, the possibility of interference to mics operating in these pockets may be high, especially considering the low 20 mW mic power limit.
Unlicensed mics operating in the guard bands and the duplex gap will need to register with a database administrator and may be assessed a fee, although the procedure is not specified yet. Other than the 4 MHz within the duplex gap that is reserved for licensed users, mic operation in the other portion of the duplex gap and the lower guard band will be considered unlicensed. This means licensed operators will have no priority or rights to reserve these pockets, unlike TV white space channels.
