Technology has become such a huge part of our daily lives, that sometimes we cannot even remember how we were able to be productive in the past. During the last couple of years, technology has been evolving at an extremely fast pace, with the introduction of personal media players, smart phones, computer assisted vehicles, and for the most part it has been received with open arms. Not until recently, when the government decided to make the transition from analog to digital television signals mandatory, has a whole industry come together to oppose and express their feelings about a technological advancement and the negative implications that it would bring to millions of people. To the average American television viewer, the transition from analog (see right) to digital televisions is of course a good thing because for now there will be more channels available and they will be in high definition; all of these new upgrades being available free of charge. Of course nothing is ever really free, the government will be spending about $1.5 billion dollars in an informational campaign and incentive program.Since television broadcasting companies will be ending their analog transmissions, the US Government decided to auction off the soon to be free air space to the highest bidders. This is where the entertainment industry stood up and noticed what was about to happen. Production companies and touring companies realized that the "white space" that they use on a daily basis was about to be licensed for other products, such as wireless Internet and public safety services. These new services and products would operate in the same frequency that is already being used by thousands of professional audio microphones, which are currently not only used by ESPN/NFL, television broadcasters, and other large production events such as concerts, but also by schools, churches, and your average garage band, effectively classifying all these wireless microphone products as illegal. To accommodate the new FCC regulations, wireless microphone makers have had to spend thousands of dollars in R&D to develop new products that operate in different frequencies and to certify their new products with the FCC.
Not only is the entertainment industry complaining to the FCC, but groups that support the use of unlicensed devices on the new white space filed complaints against the major wireless microphone producers and vendors, such as Shure Inc., Nady Systems Inc., Sennheiser Electronic Corp., B&H Foto & Electronics Inc., and Amazon.com to name a few. These groups allege that microphone producers have sold thousands of microphones and purposely marketed to consumers as legal, when in fact they are all operated illegally on certain frequencies. The above mentioned companies have responded by saying that they have asked the FCC to clarify to them on how to instruct their customers on what the proper use of these microphones would be after the digital television transition. So far the FCC has not given an answer because they say that more tests need to be done to.
As previously stated, production companies are among the users that will be affected by the analog to digital transition. In fact they are one of the largest wireless microphone users that not only depend on these devices to be able to produce great entertainment shows but also for their livelihood. Production companies tend to use wireless microphones in almost all live production shows, which include music concerts, live sporting events, theater, and even presidential debates. For example in music concerts, the user of wireless microphones and other equipment allows the performer to have a bigger stage and interact freely with the audience. It allows for the use of much bigger venues, such as arenas and stadiums, which in return give a higher profit for the artist and production company because of the fact that more people can attend these events. Wireless microphones and other equipment such as in-ear monitors also allow the musicians to roam freely around the stage and not be restricted to a specific space on stage. This freedom allows performers to put together more elaborate and entertaining productions for their fans. For example, without the use of wireless microphone, artists would not be able to do such stunts as flying over the crowd while they
sing or running around from one side of the stage to the other. Wireless microphones not only allow the performer to do things that years ago were not possible, but it also allows a different environment to be created for the audience in which they are truly submersed into a different reality for the length of the show.Another example would live sporting events such as football, were wireless microphones are used in abundance. Not only do the announcers and broadcasters (see left) use wireless microphones to conduct interviews, inform the audience of the plays, penalties, and other information throughout the game; offensive player and defensive players make use of wireless devices while they are on the field, which allows them to communicate with the coaching staff throughout the game. Without the use of these wireless devices, the game would not be as fluid as it is today. As a personal user of wireless microphones and other equipment, I can only hope that the FCC makes plans that takes our industry into consideration, not only because we live off such devices but also for the average sports and music fan that has come to enjoy the way concerts and football games are produced today.
