More Voices Protest White Space Plan

The FCC is hearing from a growing chorus that wants it to delay a planned Nov. 4 vote on white spaces.

NAMM, the trade association for the international music products industry, joined the American Federation of Musicians, the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, the Country Music Association, the Grand Ole Opry and the Recording Artists Coalition in calling for the FCC to delay a vote.

In a letter to the FCC, the groups object to a plan to permit unlicensed mobile devices to operate on the same spectrum used by their audio systems. Such a move would lead to significant disruption of music productions across the country, they say. The groups also oppose reliance on spectrum sensing technology.

In a letter dated Oct. 24, country singer Dolly Parton urged the commission to defer a vote, publish proposed rules and allow a comment period.

Earlier this week, CTIA reiterated its support for a measured approach, urging an incremental move by which unlicensed use of TV white spaces initially would be limited to a subset of television channels 21-36. Only if unlicensed operations in TV white spaces prove a successful business model that actually delivers on its promise and that can operate without causing interference to licensed operations, should the commission consider extending unlicensed uses beyond the initial channel range, the group said. CTIA also wants the commission to set aside a portion of the TV white spaces for licensed operations through auction.