Public Interest Organizations Commend FCC For Action On Unauthorized Wireless Mics
Posted: Thursday August 21, 2008
August 21, 2008
For Immediate Release
Public Interest Organizations Commend FCC For Action On Unauthorized Wireless Mics
Background: The FCC today released a notice of proposed rulemaking asking for comment on the use of unauthorized wireless microphones in the spectrum band to be used by new digital television stations. The FCC document is here.
The following is the statement of the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition:
“We commend the Commission on its quick action to look into how the widespread use of unauthorized wireless microphones will affect the transition to digital television and the introduction of new public safety and commercial wireless services. As the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) told the Commission in July, the transition will be threatened by the ‘illegal and deceptive’ practices of the manufacturers of wireless microphones, which operate in the 700 MHz band to be used by digital TV stations.
“We are pleased that the Commission took our complaint seriously and has begun an investigation into the marketing practices of manufacturers of wireless microphones. This is a welcome step. As we told the Commission in July, ‘In violation of FCC rules, manufacturers persuaded unauthorized users to buy expensive wireless microphones that manufacturers had no right to sell and the public has no right to use. As a result, somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million unauthorized wireless microphone systems operate on UHF Channels 52-69 – creating pools of potential interference that could undermine the reliability of these new public safety and commercial wireless systems.’”
The PISC complaint is here.
Current PISC members, in alphabetical order, are: The CUWiN Foundation (CUWIN), Consumer Federation of America (CFA), Consumers Union (CU), EDUCAUSE, Free Press (FP), the International Association of Community Wireless Networks (IACWN), Media Access Project (MAP), the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), the New America Foundation (NAF), the Open Source Wireless Coalition (OSWC), Public Knowledge (PK), and U.S. PIRG.
###
Contact:
Harold Feld
Senior Vice President
Media Access Project
hfeld@mediaaccess.org
202-454-5684
www.mediaaccess.org