New FCC Ruling on Airwave Use May Disrupt Quality of Broadway Performances

The Federal Communications Commission will vote tomorrow on the rules for next year's auction of airwaves, a hot topic among mobile providers such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. A restructuring of airwaves is done by the Commission each year to accommodate the growth in smartphones and mobile devices.

According to a new report in Bloomberg Business, the ruling can have a significant impact on the Great White Way, as regulators chose to assign less desirable frequencies to cordless microphone users, including Broadway stage actors. This can ultimately lead to undesirable static and interference during live performances. Tom Ferrugia, director of government affairs for the Broadway League tells the site, "Interference is not acceptable for a live performance in front of a live audience."

In 2010, cordless microphone use was switched over to the airwave spectrum, forcing Broadway theater owners to purchase new microphones that would be compatible with the new frequencies. At a price tag of over $1,000 each, the cost became a huge expense for such shows as "The Lion King," and "Wicked", which require between 80 and 100 wireless microphones for their productions.

Laurie Baskin, director of research, policy and collective action at the Theatre Communications Group, which represents 500 nonprofit theaters, shared that in 2010, some non-profit theaters were forced to spend between $25,000 and $100,000 on new microphones. "We are all concerned about what it will cost when the FCC finishes the auction next year," Baskin said in an e-mail.

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Photo courtesy of Wicked Official Site