FCC changes only fix an old mess

Your article on Saturday, May 22 says that the big mean FCC is forcing schools, etc. to replace their wireless microphones. Please note that wireless microphones that used TV station frequencies were illegal for most of the schools, churches, etc. that bought them a few years ago.

The only legal users of those frequencies had to get licenses, licenses were only available to broadcasters (TV and radio stations) and movie production companies.

Local theaters, churches, schools, and etc. were not eligible for licenses. Wireless microphone companies sold these wireless microphones to organizations that were ineligible for licenses.

With the digital TV transition and the transfer of the 700 MHz band to public safety agencies (police, fire, etc.) and common carriers such as Verizon, the FCC decided to clean up the illegal mess. They had to get all the wireless microphones out of the 700 MHz band.

So they made them illegal above 700 MHz. But they added new rules that allow low power wireless microphones in the remaining TV frequencies.

This allows the churches, schools, etc. to get legal microphones and gives them legal standing to complain if the wireless microphone frequencies are taken away again in the future. It also legalized many existing wireless microphones on the remaining TV frequencies.

Bill Thompson

Buffalo Grove