Saturday, January 16, 2010
FCC gives the official finger to theatres and live entertainment
Backstage at BackstageJobs.com | Life behind the scenes…: "The Federal Communications Commission has ordered all users of wireless microphones to find new broadcast frequencies by June 12th, 2010. Friday’s order came after years of legal wrangling over the 700 megahertz band by Broadway (the only entertainment grouping that could afford to challenge it) and cellular phone and internet providers."
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8 comments:
I was wondering when this issue was going to come to a head, and apparently it just did. This is a big hassle not only for the big houses, but for every community or school theatre that uses wireless mics. In my first high school, we didn't even have a dedicated sound technician who would be able to make this switch, which means they will have to allot budget to bringing in a professional to change the department's microphones over. There's not much that can be done now, but hopefully the new channels will be found quickly and that the changeover can happen smoothly.
First of all, let me say that the title of the article is a bit ridiculous. It is possible for individuals to have opposing viewpoints without descending into rudeness. Now to the matter at hand. Yes it sucks that the FCC took "our" frequencies away from us, but the reality is that those frequencies cost money and, up to now, we have been slipping in between the cracks. Now someone with money wants the frequencies we use. I don't know the technology or how the frequencies are assigned well enough to even being to suggest an answer, but I hope that the resolution will come quickly. I wonder if the FCC understands exactly what kind of an impact this will have on the industries that are using this technology. We will have to see how much support the wireless manufactures are willing to give their customers in terms of equipment changes or the like.
I agree with Chris, while we can complain all we want about the FCC taking the frequencies away, they were never really ours to begin with. Considering the widespread usage of wireless microphones and communication, I am sure that the demand for a solution will give rise to one quickly.
It's unfortunate that this has to happen, but I know a lot of companies that thought they could get away with keeping their old gear without any consequences. Although it may seem ridiculous to many, there are many good reasons for this change that are backed up with a lot of documentation. It may not be cheap, and it may be irritating to have to replace your gear, but in the end it's cheaper and less of a pain to do it now than to get fined and have to stop a show.
While the statements above provide a very good arguement, one must also look at what the FCC did from the other prospective. While I agree with Chris pertaining to the title of the article, I feel that the FCC could have handled it better. I mean, this frequency has been used by thousands of different products and companies for decades and to say that they can't use it any more and then to force them to find suitable replacements by a given date is kind of rude. Yes, I know that the frequncy is not theirs. But this change does present a large issue.
I remember talking about this issue with my old tech director over break. It's a real problem for smaller theaters that need to either have their equipement sent in for adjustment or replacement, and don't necessarily have the money to do that. It's unfortunate that this has had to happen, and it's going to be a big inconvenience for many theaters. Hopefully, the FCC will be able to handle things in cases such as these better in future, and solutions will be found to this issue
Well they've been talking about it forever. I'm a little suprised it passed, considering the sporting world and Broadway were both against it. It's a nice little reminder of how small our industry really is, and even if it's all we talk about, think about, and dream about, most of the world forgets the vast amounts of time and energy put into theatre until they go see a Broadway show every few years. For my part, I just miss my wireless god mics. Oh to be stuck at the tech table, or running photo call with only your lungs for amplification.
The only thing i worry about is how smaller schools and companies will handle this? i know a lot of schools already have an issue with financing and getting good equipment to use. some schools don't even have programs. Its going to be expensive for schools to replace sound equipment. If the FCC wants to do this they should set up a program for schools and small companies to switch their equipment for new stuff.
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