Shrinking Bandwidth Raising Costs

Sound like a production nightmare?

A recent order from the Federal Communications Commission could make that nightmare a reality. The agency has announced that artists, venues, theme parks and sports franchises will need to retune or phase out wireless components that operate in the 700 MHz band before June 12.

Although the FCC has generally characterized the changeover as a simple wireless microphone issue, the new rule will have lasting effects on everyone from artists to component manufacturers, awards shows and Broadway touring companies.

Clair’s David Skaff, a monitor engineer on U2’s 360 tour, listed off some of the wireless components used to create the larger-than-life production.

“The singers couldn’t be tethered to wires and get around these giant stadium stages,” he told Pollstar. “So not only did we have wireless microphones, wireless ear monitors and walkie-talkies, the lighting system even had a wireless component to it because all those big lights inside the stadiums are actually done with wireless DMX.”

The changeover will see manufacturing companies scrambling to find out which frequencies will be available for wireless components moving forward and retooling their production, he said.

Leasing companies and end users will also need to return units that were hard fixed to the 700 frequency band and purchase new components.

Of course, all the retooling and repurchasing could mean huge costs for the concert industry, although Skaff said those costs probably won’t compare with the money the government will make selling off the 700 MHz airwaves.

Component manufacturers and industry organizations have urged Congress to recognize the entertainment industry’s need for a designated band of its own, apparently to varying degrees of success, but it’s unlikely any in the 700 MHz range will be reserved.

The FCC has already set aside much of the band for public safety and wireless consumer services after a massive auction last year reportedly raised almost $20 billion for the use of those airwaves.

As for the question of global component compatibility, the changeover could cause headaches for foreign artists or U.S. acts that play countries where the 700 MHz frequency is still available.

“To have to change out anything that’s working is really scary to the artists and the engineers,” Skaff said.

“It just sends everybody a little chill when you’re like, ‘OK, we’re going to go to Europe, we’re going to have to change all our stuff again,’ or ‘Now we’re going to the U.S., we’ll have to change out all these units again.’ It keeps guys up at night.”