Shure

"White Spaces" FAQ
Updated February 17, 2011

GENERAL

Q: What are White Spaces?
A: The white spaces are the channels in between locally-occupied TV channels. These channels are used by wireless microphones, wireless in-ear monitors, wireless production intercom systems, and other professional wireless equipment used by program and event producers, broadcasters, meeting facilities, and houses of worship.

Q: Have wireless microphones been banned?
A: No, wireless microphones may continue to use TV channels 2-51, with or without a license.

Q: What about microphones operating above 700 MHz? Have those wireless microphones been banned?
A: The 700 MHz band (698-806 MHz, formerly TV channels 52-69) has been reallocated to new wireless service providers. Wireless microphone operation in the 700 MHz band was prohibited, effective June 12, 2010.

Q: Will consumer wireless devices be allowed to operate in the white spaces?
A: Yes.  The FCC has approved the operation of “TV Band devices” in the VHF and UHF TV bands.

Q: What kinds of new devices will be allowed to use the TV white spaces?
A: TV Band devices (also known as “white space devices”) could include personal/portable devices such as cell phones and wireless laptop computers, and fixed point-to-point equipment used to deliver wireless broadband internet or other services to homes and businesses.

Q: When will these TV Band devices start appearing in stores?
A: TV Band devices will be allowed to go on sale after they pass FCC certification testing. This might occur in 2011.

Q: What provisions has the FCC made to allow wireless microphones to operate without interference from TV Band devices?
A: First, the FCC has established two “reserved” TV channels (above and below channel 37) in each city that are ‘off-limits’ to TV Band devices, which will allow wireless microphones to operate without risk of interference.  Second, additional TV channels between 14 and 20 will be off-limits to TV Band devices in many cities, making them ideal for wireless microphone use.  Third, users of large numbers of wireless systems at large events may register additional reserved TV channels in a new geo-location database.

Q: Is the FCC going to take away more broadcast spectrum?
A: The National Broadband Plan released in March 2010 includes proposals to allow two TV stations to share the same channel or to use a portion of their bandwidth for wireless broadband.  Participating stations would receive a share of the proceeds gained from auctioning access to the reclaimed spectrum.  Like the DTV transition, the repurposing of spectrum as outlined in the Plan will require significant changes to existing FCC rules, which must pass through the Commission’s normal rulemaking process.  The proposed incentive auction program cannot be carried out until authorized by Congressional legislation.  Depending on the degree to which any parts of the Plan are eventually implemented, the operating environment for wireless microphones may become more crowded in the future.

PROTECTED CHANNELS

Q: Which TV channels will be protected for wireless microphones to use?
A: The FCC’s 2010 White Spaces Order stipulates that two TV channels in each market will be reserved for wireless microphone use.  These will be the first channel above and the first channel below TV channel 37 that are not occupied by a local TV station.  If unoccupied channels are not available both above and below channel 37, the first two channels nearest to channel 37 will be reserved.  Because occupied TV channels vary by market, the reserved channels will vary by market also.  Additional TV channels between 14 and 20 will also be off-limits to TV Band Devices due to the technical restrictions that govern their operation.  Portable TV Band devices are not permitted to transmit on TV channels 14-20, and Fixed TV Band devices are not permitted to transmit on the channels immediately adjacent to the TV channels used by local TV stations or Public Safety agencies.  These adjacent channels in the 14-20 range are also protected for wireless microphone use without risk of interference from TV Band Devices.

Q: How will I know which TV channels are protected for wireless microphone use in my area?
A: The Geo-location Database (see below) will serve as the official source of protected channel information at a particular latitude and longitude.

Q: Am I required to use the protected channels?
A: No.  All wireless microphone users are allowed to operate on any TV channel that is not assigned to a local TV station or reserved for public safety or municipal radio users.  Using the protected channels will allow wireless microphones to operate without risk of interference from TV Band devices, but is not required.

Q: Who else uses TV channels 14-20?
A: In 13 major metropolitan areas, TV channels 14-20 are shared with Public Safety and some municipal radio systems.

Q: What are the 13 major metropolitan areas where selected channels between 14 and 20 are allocated for Public Safety communications?
A: Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Washington DC. Shure Wireless Workbench software and our online Frequency Finder tool make it easy to identify and avoid these channels.

GEO-LOCATION DATABASE

Q: What is "geo-location"?
A: The FCC will require TV Band devices to incorporate geolocation technology (perhaps similar to GPS), which allows the device to determine its location accurately within 50 meters.  The device’s location will determine which TV channels are safe for it to transmit on.

Q: How will the database work?
A: The FCC will require TV Band devices to have the ability to connect to an online database of users of the television band. TV Band devices will report their location to the database, and then the database will tell them which TV channels they can use at that location. The device must check the database every day, when it is powered on, and whenever its location changes.

Q: How will the database protect wireless microphones?
A: The FCC has stipulated that both licensed and unlicensed wireless microphone users can register in the database to receive the same protection as TV stations, Public Safety agencies, and other users of wireless devices in the television band. The user would provide contact information, the time and location of the event, and the TV channels used by wireless microphones.

Q: Who will run the database?  When will it be available?
A: The FCC is considering proposals from 9 organizations that are interested in creating and administering the database.  There could be multiple providers, but the FCC will require that the information in all databases is identical.  In January 2011, the FCC announced that they had “conditionally designated” all nine of the applicants.  They will be required to attend a series of mandatory workshops at the FCC Laboratory “to ensure consistency and compliance with the rules.”  The first workshop is scheduled for March 10, 2011.  Each database will be subjected to a 45-day “real-world trial” before final approval.  The FCC has not announced a timeline for completing this process.

Q: Who are the companies that applied to administer the database?
A: The nine "conditionally designated" administrators are:
Comsearch
Frequency Finder, Inc.
Google Inc.
KB Enterprises LLC and LS Telecom (who applied as a team)
Key Bridge Global LLC
Neustar Inc.
Spectrum Bridge Inc.
Telcordia Technologies
WSdb LLC

Q: Will the database be open to all wireless microphone users?
A: According to FCC rulings, licensed and unlicensed wireless microphone users may register in the database.  Unlicensed users must register at least 30 days in advance of the event, and must certify that they are already fully utilizing the reserved TV channels available at that location.

Q: Is there an advantage to being a licensed wireless microphone user?
A: Licensed users will be able to register in the database less than 30 days before an event, and are not required to certify that they are fully utilizing the reserved TV channels before registering in the database.

SPECTRUM SENSING

Q: What is "spectrum sensing"?
A: Spectrum sensing is the ability to detect and avoid other wireless signals nearby. This includes TV stations, Public Safety agencies, wireless microphones, medical telemetry devices, and other users.

Q: Will the FCC authorize white space devices that rely exclusively on spectrum sensing?
A: The FCC eliminated the requirement that all TV Band devices are equipped with spectrum sensing, but may approve devices that rely only on spectrum sensing in the future. Manufacturers of TV Band devices may submit products that rely solely on spectrum sensing to the FCC for testing, but they will have to meet an even more rigorous set of performance standards than devices that use geolocation and the database before they will be approved for sale. Those testing standards have not been developed yet, and the wireless microphone industry and other interested parties will be allowed to participate in that process.