Australia Communications and Media Authority digital switchover infromation for consumers. For more infoprmation:  http://www.dbcde.gov.au/media_broadcasting/

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) plans and manages the radiofrequency spectrum in Australia. It is responsible for compliance with licensing requirements and investigating complaints of interference to services.
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/LANDING/pc=SPECTRUM_MAIN

Information on the operation of UHF wireless microphone systems and In Ear monitoring systems after the transition to Digital Television on Feb 17th 2009
http://latin-america.beyerdynamic.com/

APWPT is an independent association, working for the benefit of all professionals who use radio spectrum.
The APWPT promotes on an international level the efficient and demand-driven provision and use of production frequencies for professional event productions as well as safeguarding such production frequencies for the users on the long run. http://www.apwpt.org/index2.php

Australian spectrum allocation arrangements are, at their broadest level, embodied in a statutory instrument known as the Australian Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan (the Spectrum Plan). The Spectrum Plan divides the Australian radiofrequency spectrum into a number of frequency bands and specifies the general purpose for which the bands may be used. This process is referred to as the allocation of frequency bands to radiocommunication services. The Spectrum Plan is intended to provide a basis for management of the radiofrequency spectrum in Australia; to
inform and educate radiocommunication users and the public about the various types of services that can be operated in each frequency band, and the conditions attached to their operation;
reflect Australia's obligations as a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); and
provide details of international frequency allocations agreed by the ITU for the three world Regions.
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_2713

The wireless audio distributors in Australia have recently come together under the banner of the Australian Wireless Audio Group (AWAG) which is being co-ordinated the Australian Music Association (AMA). The primary function of AWAG is to work with the ACMA and the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) on developing appropriate long term solutions to this issue on behalf of both the industry and the key wireless audio users groups. ) 
http://www.australianmusic.asn.au/Default.asp?ID=25

BEIRG is an independent and non-profitmaking association, working for the benefit of all those who use radio spectrum in Europe. ( Based in Germany )
In the entertainment industry alone the PMSE (Programme Making & Special Events) sector employs in excess of 150,000 people producing content, on a daily basis that is then viewed or listened to by the entire population of the UK. Content produced by the UK entertainment industry is then sold on to be used around the world.
http://www.beirg.org.uk/

Announcements, press releases and information from the Federal Communications Commission in the USA.
http://www.fcc.gov/headlines.html

This unused spectrum is often referred to at the “TV white spaces.” As part of the proceeding on this matter, the Office of Engineering and Technology is conducting a test program to assess performance capabilities of devices that would operate in the TV white spaces. These tests focus on examining the ability of such devices to sense the signals of broadcast television and wireless microphone signals and their potential for causing interference to those services.

http://www.fcc.gov/oet/projects/tvbanddevice/Welcome.html

This site does not have the ambition to be exhaustive on any aspect of spectrum auctions. It furthermore has no commercial objective and there is no intent to advertize on it. Its only aim is, in the general interest, to improve and spread the understanding of a highly complex topic with enormous implications, mainly of an economic and social nature. Radio communications will continue to expand in many ways, and this is possible only owing to some form of spectrum management, of which auctions are an important tool.
http://globaucal.com/

Wireless Spectrum Update – The sky is not falling (yet) - Update Dec 2008
Press Releases
November
December

Interference zones, sometimes referred to as "white spaces," are areas where frequencies in the television spectrum are not currently occupied by television signals. When unlicensed mobile devices operate in these white space zones, they can cause interference to televisions in the area. And because the devices are not licensed, they are impossible to track down, so the interference can not be stopped. This interference has been confirmed by the Federal Communication Commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology in a report released in August 2007
http://www.interferencezones.com/

The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association that advocates on behalf of more than 8,300 free, local radio and television stations and also broadcast networks before Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Courts.
http://www.nab.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

OFCOM are an independent organisation which regulates the UK’s broadcasting, telecommunications and wireless communications sectors. We also set and enforce rules on fair competition between companies in these industries.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/

http://www.prosoundweb.com/site/topic/wireless/

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/

Shure is a member of two work groups organized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) -- the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology. These groups include the 802.18 Radio Regulatory Technical Advisory Group (RR-TAG) and the 802.22 Wireless Regional Area Network (WRAN) group. The WRAN group is developing a standard for unlicensed wireless broadband in the TV spectrum. Shure joined these groups to help represent the interests of incumbent TV spectrum users and to develop a standard that will help prevent interference to wireless microphones.
Shure Pressroom

The Wireless Innovation Alliance is a coalition of companies, organizations, and advocates working to unlock the potential that lies inside the “White Spaces” of our Television spectrum. The vacant spaces available within the high quality TV broadcast spectrum, underutilized for decades, hold the key to advances in wireless communications, broadband deployment and accessibility, and mobile Television and video services.

The Wireless Innovation Alliance is united by the goal of realizing the potential of this unused national resource. From TV on the go, to Internet access for rural communities, to interoperable communications for emergency first responders, the technologies of tomorrow will be built inside today’s unused white spaces.
www.wirelessinnovationalliance.org/index.cfm

FCC ruling stating 700Mhz equipment is no longer permitted to be used.
http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/PressRoom/700mhzupdate/index.htm

Cavell, Mertz & Associates, Inc. has now combined the FCCInfo.com databases with the extensive mapping capabilities of Google Earth™ to display up-to-date FCC broadcast, microwave, and tower structure databases in a readily understood visual format. The 3-D building and terrain features of Google Earth™ permits a unique perspective of FCC data not freely available anywhere else.
Open this file with Google Earth: http://ge.fccinfo.com/fccinfo.kmz

“It is critical that the FCC's technical and operational rules -- including pre-certification testing rules -- ‘get it right’ before mass produced equipment is pushed into the market.” - Mark Brunner, Shure Incorporated

Shure Incorporated announced today (March 28, 2009) that it has filed a Petition for Reconsideration on the FCC White Spaces Rules (docket 04-186) published in the Federal Register in February.

“Whether the Commission’s new ‘White Spaces‘ rules successfully protect incumbent operations, including particularly wireless microphone operations, in this challenging spectrum environment is a matter determined by the specific details of the FCC’s rules. It is imperative that these rules provide sufficient protection when actually implemented in real world environments,” said Mark Brunner, Senior Director of Industry and Public Relations for Shure.  “It is critical that the FCC’s technical and operational rules—including pre-certification testing rules—‘get it right’ before mass produced equipment is pushed into the market.”

Toward that end, Shure urged in its filing that the Commission impose rigorous certification testing, open to the public, on hybrid geolocation/sensing devices.

Shure also sought reconsideration of the FCC decision to permit portable devices to operate on first adjacent channels to DTV.

At a minimum, Shure is asking that the FCC reduce the allowable power of TV band device (TVBD) operations on adjacent channels.

To prevent devastating interference to wireless microphones, Shure urged modification of several technical and behavioral rules:

• TVBDs must demonstrate that they maintain sensitivity to the -114 dBm level in the presence of strong signals on adjacent channels, a common scenario in real world operations
• In-service monitoring requirements should be revised to require rechecks every ten seconds
• A 60 minute non-occupancy period should be adopted for TVBDs
• High power fixed TVBDs should be required to avoid a two kilometer protected zone around wireless microphones
• Geolocation databases should synchronize at least once an hour
• TVBDs should be required to access the database and confirm frequency availability in real-time or near real-time
• The period of time that TVBDs may continue operating after losing contact with the database should be reduced from 24 to 4 hours.

Finally, Shure urged the FCC to make clear that TVBD manufacturers, TVBD users, and geolocation database administrators may not pick and choose which wireless microphone operations to protect from TVBD interference based on microphone application, power level, license status, or any other characteristic.

Shure said that to do otherwise would abrogate the Commission’s commitment in this proceeding to protect incumbents and harm an important and vital technology critical to many sectors—contrary to the public interest.

In addition to Shure’s Petition for Reconsideration, several other companies and organizations also submitted their own filings, including the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Dell, Microsoft, Motorola, Sprint-Nextel, and Adaptrum.

A recent FCC ruling specifies that wireless microphones, wireless intercoms, and personal monitors may continue to operate in the UHF television band between TV channels 14-51 (470-698 MHz), and in the VHF television band between TV channels 7-13 (174-216 MHz).
Telex wireless intercom products are manufactured to utilize bands below 698 MHz.
The operation of Telex wireless intercom products can continue with a great deal of confidence given the details of the FCC report on the use and operation of white spaces devices.
Download PDF http://www.telexradiocom.com/

In the Second Report and Order in this proceeding, the Commission, among other things, reconfigured the 700 MHz public safety band for the purpose of establishing a nationwide, interoperable, broadband public safety communications network. Specifically, the Commission designated the lower half of the 700 MHz public safety band (763-768/793-798 MHz) for broadband communications, and consolidated narrowband operations in the upper half (769-775/799-805 MHz)
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-09-8A1.pdf

Rules for Use of Vacant TV Spectrum Take Effect March 19

WASHINGTON D.C. (February 17, 2009) – The Wireless Innovation Alliance (WIA) noted today another important step in making white space technology a reality. The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) November final Report and Order that established the rules of the road for the initial development and use of white space devices appeared in the Federal Register today and will now take effect on March 19, 2009. The rules governing the use of vacant broadcast spectrum by unlicensed devices were established by the FCC in November 2008 after more than four years of consideration and eighteen months of exhaustive testing.

“Any step forward in this process is progress,” Jake Ward, a spokesperson for the Wireless Innovation Alliance said. “It has always been our position that the Commission’s process for testing, evaluation, and rulemaking is a necessary and worthwhile, and we are pleased that we have moved one step closer to a white space enabled world.”

While the November 2008 Report and Order will officially take effect March 19, 2009, the FCC will continue to consider and evaluate plans for design, development, and management of an occupied channels database. Certain sections of the final rules require approval by the Office of Management and Budget. No date for that approval has been set.

About the Wireless Innovation Alliance:
The WIA includes more than 17 organizations, representing the technology industry, consumer and public interest groups, and educational and technical organizations. The Alliance also enjoys strong bipartisan support from a growing number of Congressional Members committed to actively working to create opportunity and enable innovation in the U.S. The goal of the Alliance is to work closely with policymakers to craft rules of the road that will realize the opportunity of TV White spaces, which lie vacant in as much as 75% in some areas of the country.

For more information about the Wireless Innovation Alliance, http://www.wirelessinnovationalliance.com.

Download the FCC Report and Order
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-260A1.pdf

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HEADLINE NEWS
Washington, D.C. January 15, 2009

Today FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin announced his resignation from the Federal Communications Commission, effective January 20, 2009. The Chairman said he leaves the office with great pride in the FCC’s accomplishments and with deep gratitude for having had an opportunity to serve the American public.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/

For most FCC auctions held prior to July 2005, the Auction Tracking Tools provide auction participants and other interested parties the ability to track and analyze FCC auctions as they progress. By sorting, filtering, and developing customized queries, you can track the specific activity of a particular bidder or market. You can also view summary data to track and analyze the general progress of an auction.

http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/default.htm?job=track_tools_all

Did you know that *Auction 73 concluded with 1090 provisionally winning bids covering 1091 licenses and totaling US$19,592,420,000, as shown in the Integrated Spectrum Auction System. The provisionally winning bids for the A, B, C, and E Block licenses exceeded the aggregate reserve prices for those blocks. The provisionally winning bid for the D Block license, however, did not meet the applicable reserve price and thus did not become a winning bid. Accordingly, Auction 73 raised a total of US$19,120,378,000 in winning bids and US$18,957,582,150 in net winning bids.

http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/default.htm?job=auction_summary&id=73