mark bromfield audio laboratories


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a tangle of wireless wires

and what a mess we have ourselves in! manufacturers offering cashbacks on now "obsolete" equipment, performers putting in their two cents, everyone has something so say, but will they be heard without the wireless channels to broadcast their message?

"As someone who uses the white spaces and knows the value of them for the work that I and many of my friends around the country, I ask the FCC to recognize the entertainment industry's valuable contribution to the cultural life. I can unequivocally confirm that the importance of clear, consistent wireless microphone broadcasts simply cannot be overstated. This industry relies on wireless technology and is in jeopardy of being irreversibly devastated by the commission's pending decision." - dolly parton

the FCC in the united states (with a similar regulartory role as the ACMA in australia) has penned its "final report" on the white spaces debate, with much controversy. cease operation dates for some equipment has been labelled by industry as unfeasible, user databases to maintain frequency separation by GPS location to be operated by third party providers raise issues of confidentiality, and of course then the risk of being allocated the dreaded "no available channels" when channels may actually be free and available. rogue or uninformed users not complying with these new regulations may pose further problems.

a good overview of the situation in the united states can be found on pro sound web here.



so where does that leave us downunder?

although australia will have it's own set of regulations, the change in technology by manufacturers seeking to comply with the FCC will certainly have a trickle down effect. in the meantime, professional users can only continue to use frequency agile Tx and Rx units and hope the ACMA does the right thing by us.


some futher reading:

ACMA - Strategies for Wireless Access Spectrum - Consultation Outcomes - see page ten of this pdf, ACMA continues to sit on the fence.
one hundred and thirty responses from industry and end users to the ACMA regarding wireless microphone usage - we will not be silenced!




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