FCC UPDATE
A new round of bidding in the FCC's Reverse
Auction of the UHF spectrum began on
November 1. This begins Stage 3
In Stage 1 and Stage 2, the buyers (mostly the
broadband industry) failed to bid enough to cover
the amounts required to buy up the licenses, the
costs of relocating stations, as well as profits for the
federal government to complete the auction.
The Stage 3 Reverse Auction has the current
license holders establishing the price for their licens-
es. A smaller group, as with each subsequent stage,
the amount of spectrum to be auctioned off gets
smaller. When this auction is complete, the Stage 3
Forward Auction will commence.
As of the end of Stage 2, it appears that everything
below the sacrosanct UHF Channel 37 is no longer
for sale. Lectrosonics translation: Blocks up to 23
are still available for use. Blocks 24 through 26 are
still up for sale. Spectrum up to 608 MHz will remain
available for wireless microphone use, however,
every UHF TV station above 614 MHz that sells its
license and continues to operate will be relocated
below 608 MHz, either sharing existing UHF TV
channels or acquiring their own.
Bandwidth for wireless microphone use is
becoming increasingly crowded, and licensed
users have priority over nonlicensed users.
If you haven't acquired a Part 74 License,
please apply.
http://www.local695.com/fcc/how-to-get-a-license/
Jay Patterson CAS
Vice President, Local 695
Co-chair, Technical Trends Committee