Old Lyme, CT (October 31, 2014)—Sennheiser is encouraging microphone owners and customers to write to the FCC in support of the company’s Petition for Reconsideration, filed in light of the pending spectrum auction now scheduled to take place in early 2016.
Sennheiser recently filed a Petition for Reconsideration with the Federal Communications Commission on its Incentive Auction Ruling, arguing two primary points:
There should remain two blocks of clean UHF for hypercritical microphones and ear monitors (the FCC plans to eliminate the two reserved mic channels);
Mic owners should be compensated by the auction winners for their equipment, purchased to comply with the previous 700 MHz reallocation, that will be displaced as a result of this next spectrum repacking.
The initial Petition for Reconsideration reply deadline is November 12th, 2014. Sennheiser is offering to help with any filing or procedural requirements.
“The FCC has an enormously difficult task to repurpose spectrum from traditional over-the-air TV broadcast to mobile broadband services—this is a matter of content distribution,” says Joe Ciaudelli, Spectrum Affairs, Sennheiser. “However, spectrum is crucial for content creation as well. It is essential that productions have access to reliable prime spectrum for their most critical wireless links.
“Also, responsible mic owners invested in new equipment just a few years ago to comply with the Commission’s mandate to vacate the 700 MHz band. They should not be subjected to another premature obsolescence of their gear without some compensation. In our petition, we detail options for addressing these important issues.”
Last April, Sennheiser launched a website to keep its customers informed on developments concerning the future of wireless microphones and the UHF spectrum. The website also contains a template for a sample support letter that microphone owners can download and use to express their own views to the FCC concerning equipment replacement costs they will incur as a result of spectrum reallocation.
Sennheiser Spectrum Affairs
http://en-us.sennheiser.com/spectrum
