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The FCC’s Wireless Spectrum Auction: When Will It Impact You?

Date:2020/2/18 21:51:40 Hits:

In early 2017, we published an article about why you should care that the FCC Wireless Spectrum auction sold off a portion of the wireless mic spectrum to make space for wireless broadband and cell phone uses.

Once the bidding closed in March 2017 and the 616MHz–653MHz and 663MHz–698MHz frequency bands were sold off, the FCC issued new TV channel assignments to accommodate the spectrum’s new owners. Any stations that didn’t relinquish their spectrum rights have been scheduled for repacking into the remaining TV band spectrum below TV channel 37.

What does that mean to you?

To survive the airwaves transition, you’ll need the right wireless system. So what’s the right system for you? For starters, it can’t operate between 616MHz–653MHz and 663MHz–698MHz — none of these older systems are in compliance with the new law. In fact, you can’t sell a noncompliant system without providing full disclosure about its July 13, 2020 (or earlier) expiration date, as these systems will have zero value in the US market at that point. Incidentally, Sweetwater stopped selling 600MHz-range systems, so anything you buy from us today will continue to work in the available spectrum.

If you need a small system

If you only need a couple of channels, a system that operates in the license-free bands (902MHz–928MHz or 2.4GHz) is a good choice. But if you need to operate more than 8–10 channels simultaneously, a 2.4GHz system won’t cut it. That’s where things start to get a bit more complicated.

If you need a large system
There’s no way around it — to run a large number of channels, you’ll need a sophisticated wireless solution. While high-tech wireless gear has always been desirable, many customers were previously able to make lower-end wireless work for them. Unfortunately, those days are over, thanks to the narrowing range of available frequencies. Instead, you’ll need a spectrally efficient wireless system that can fit a lot of channels into a small frequency range.

Spectral efficiency in a nutshell

After the transition, the remaining open TV channels available for wireless microphones will be fewer than ever, so space will be at a premium. The amount of room available varies by location. Using a large number of wireless systems in an area without a lot of radio spectrum congestion, such as Cleveland, won’t be terribly challenging.

But if you want to use lots of wireless mics in a crowded RF environment like Miami, Florida, that’s another story. In those situations, you’ll need a system that utilizes the spectrum more efficiently.

A good example of spectral efficiency is the Shure ULX-D’s High Density mode. This feature reduces transmission power and occupied bandwidth to allow systems to operate closer together without interfering. This allows channel spacing to be reduced from 350kHz to 125kHz. High Density mode accommodates up to 47 transmitters in a single 6MHz TV channel. Using this mode doesn’t degrade your audio quality, but it does reduce the operating range from 330 feet to approximately 100 feet. High Density mode works well in confined areas where transmission distances are short, like large-scale corporate conferences with a large number of speakers in multiple breakout rooms.

When do I need to act?

The repacking for Phase 1 has already begun and will be complete by November 30, 2018. The final phase, Phase 10, will be completed by July 13, 2020. As soon as a phase ends, the new owner may start operating on the new channel, and you’ll no longer be able to use your 616-698MHz-range wireless system. So if you’re using a wireless system that operates in this range, the clock is ticking. Depending on where you’re located, you may only have a few months before you have to permanently retire your system.

This bar chart shows a timeline of individual phases of the wireless spectrum reallocation.

Below is a list of markets that will be affected and when, with the markets in alphabetical order. Some cities are listed twice because portions of cities may move at different phases. If your market is listed twice, then go with the earlier date. The easiest way to find your market is to search in your browser by city name, since the list is long. To find out IF you will be affected, read this article.

Take Advantage of These Limited-time Trade-in Offers

We want you to know that Shure, Sennheiser, and Audio-Technica are offering limited-time trade-in plans that allow you to buy a new system and return an eligible 600MHz wireless system for a rebate. So if you need to replace your current wireless systems, now is the time to act while your old systems still have some value. Call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700 for more details.

Bidding in the auction closed, and the 616MHz–653MHz and 663MHz–698MHz bands were acquired by T-Mobile, Comcast, Dish Network, and several other telecommunications companies.

TV stations that relinquished their spectrum rights ceased all operations.

TV stations that relinquished their spectrum rights and entered into channel-sharing agreements ceased operating on their pre-auction channels. Channel-sharing agreements allow different stations to use the same broadcast frequency — it’s an efficient way to utilize bandwidth.

End of Phase 1 — Affected markets include

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Fresno, California
Las Vegas, Nevada
Little Rock, Arkansas
Memphis, Tennessee
Phoenix, Arizona
Salt Lake City, Nevada
Springfield, Missouri
Toledo, Ohio
Tucson, Arizona

End of Phase 2 — Affected markets include

Bristol, Pennsylvania
Columbus, Ohio
Denver, Colorado
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Honolulu, Hawaii
Houston, Texas
Huntsville, Alabama
Kansas City, Missouri
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Portland, Oregon
San Diego, California
Shreveport, Louisiana
Tulsa, Oklahoma
West Palm Beach, Florida

End of Phase 3 — Affected markets include

Albuquerque, New Mexico
Austin, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Detroit, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Jackson, Mississippi
Lexington, Kentucky
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Omaha, Nebraska
Portland, Oregon
San Antonio, Texas

End of Phase 4 — Affected markets include

Albany, New York
Boston, Massachusetts
Buffalo, New York
Cleveland, Ohio
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Hartford, Connecticut
New York City, New York
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Providence, Rhode Island
Rochester, New York
Syracuse, New York
Washington, DC
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

End of Phase 5 — Affected markets include

Atlanta, Georgia
Birmingham, Alabama
Charleston, South Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Columbia, South Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
Knoxville, Tennessee
Mobile, Alabama
Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
Richmond, Virginia

End of Phase 6 — Affected markets include

Charleston, West Virginia
Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Indianapolis, Indiana
Lexington, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Madison, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nashville, Tennessee
Paducah, Kentucky
South Bend, Indiana

End of Phase 7 — Affected markets include

Burlington, Vermont
Champaign, Illinois
Hartford, Connecticut
Jacksonville, Florida
Knoxville, Tennessee
Mobile, Alabama
New Orleans, Louisiana
Norfolk, Virginia
Orlando, Florida
Providence, Rhode Island
Savannah, Georgia
Seattle, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Tampa, Florida

End of Phase 8 — Affected markets include

Baltimore, Maryland
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Boston, Massachusetts
Buffalo, New York
Chicago, Illinois
Cleveland, Ohio
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Columbus, Ohio
Detroit, Michigan
El Paso, Texas
Ft. Meyers, Florida
Huntsville, Alabama
McAllen, Texas
Portland, Oregon
Richmond, Virginia
Sacramento, California
San Francisco, California
St. Louis, Missouri
Syracuse, New York
Toledo, Ohio
Waco, Texas
Wichita, Kansas

End of Phase 9 — Affected markets include

Austin, Texas
Baltimore, Maryland
Champaign, Illinois
Denver, Colorado
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Greensboro, North Carolina
Jacksonville, Florida
Louisville, Kentucky
Madison, Wisconsin
McAllen, Texas
New York City, New York
Norfolk, Virginia
Orlando, Florida
Paducah, Kentucky
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
Roanoke, Virginia
Sacramento, California
San Antonio, Texas
San Francisco, California
Savannah, Georgia
St. Louis, Missouri
Tampa, Florida
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Waco, Texas
Washington, DC
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

End of Phase 10 — Affected markets include

Albany, New York
Atlanta, Georgia
Birmingham, Alabama
Burlington, Vermont
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, West Virginia
Charlotte, North Carolina
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Cleveland, Ohio
Columbia, South Carolina
Fresno, California
Ft. Meyers, Florida
Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
Jackson, Mississippi
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nashville, Tennessee
Phoenix, Arizona
Rochester, Minnesota
Shreveport, Louisiana

This is the final day of the spectrum reallocation. On this date, every wireless system that operates in the 616MHz to 698MHz band cannot be used legally in the US.

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