Federal Communications Commission	FCC 24-22

STATEMENT OF
CHAIRWOMAN JESSICA ROSENWORCEL

Re:	Amendment of Parts 15 and 74 of the Rules for Wireless Microphones in the TV Bands, 600 MHz Guard Band, 600 MHz duplex Gap, and the 941.5-944 MHz, 944-952 MHz, 952.850-956.250 MHz, 956.45-959.85 MHz, 1435-1525 MHz, 6875-6900 MHz and 7100-7125 MHz Bands, ET Docket No. 21-115, RM 11821, Report and Order (February 15, 2024)

	Unless you are in video and audio production, the odds are you have not thought much about wireless microphones.  But they are everywhere.  Let’s start with last weekend’s Super Bowl.  The commentary on- and off-field required wireless microphones, along with the halftime show.  You’ll find them in big Broadway productions and small-town theaters.  They are everywhere on film sets.  And they are commonly used in houses of worship, stadiums, and schools.  These ubiquitous devices operate in a mix of licensed and unlicensed airwaves like the 600 MHz and 900 MHz bands, as well as the 1.4 GHz and 7 GHz bands.  These airwaves are shared with a range of other wireless services, including broadcasting, aeronautical activities, Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies.  

	Making sure all of these services can function at the same time without interference is a tall task.  So when a new technology comes along with the potential to improve the efficiency of wireless microphone operations, it deserves attention.  That is why a few years ago, we issued a rulemaking to explore a new wireless technology known as Wireless Multi-Channel Audio Systems, or WMAS.  And it is why today we adopt new rules to fully support these systems.  We do this because they significantly improve the efficiency of wireless microphone operations.  In fact, under the rules we adopt here, three times as many microphones can operate while putting the same amount of power over the air as a single wireless microphone has under our past rules.  That is a spectrum win-win.  Because it means we can do more with our airwaves for all kinds of technologies, benefiting everything from special Super Bowl-sized spectacles to the Wi-Fi routers we use in our homes every day.  

	Thank you to the team behind this effort, including Ron Repasi, Ira Keltz, Dana Shaffer, Jamison Prime, Krista Witanowski, Michael Ha, Nicholas Oros, Bahman Badipour, Hugh VanTuyl, Syed Hasan, Siobahn Philemon, and David Duarte from the Office of Engineering and Technology; Kevin Harding, Mark Colombo, and James Bradshaw from the Media Bureau; Chris Andes, Stephen Buenzow, Joyce Jones, Paul Malmud, and Joshua Smith from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau; Anjali Singh, Doug Klein, and Keith McCrickard from the Office of General Counsel; Aleks Yankelevich and Paul LaFontaine from the Office of Economics and Analytics; Ryan McDonald, Matthew Gibson, Shannon Lipp, Michael Rhodes, Paul Noone, Daniela Arregui, and Neal McNeil from the Enforcement Bureau; Joy Ragsdale and Michael Gussow from the Office of Communications Business Opportunities; and Marlene Dortch and Katura Jackson from the Office of the Secretary.