Advocacy News

Pictures Above: On March 31 and April 1 TCG and Other Arts Advocates converged in Washington, D.C., for Arts Advocacy Day 2008.

NEA Chairman Dana Gioia Announces His Future Plans

Chairman Dana Gioia has announced that he will be leaving his position at the NEA in January 2009. He will go on to join the Aspen Institute as the part-time director of the Harman/Eisner Program in the Arts, and will also pursue his writing career, having already established himself as an acclaimed poet and poetry critic. Chairman Gioia is completing his second term with the NEA and is the Endowment's ninth chairman. Click here to read the NEA's official press release.

The IRA Charitable Rollover Has been Restored!

On Friday, October 3rd, Congress approved a two-year extension of the IRA Charitable Rollover Provision, part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (H.R.1424). The Rollover is a tax incentive that allows individuals who are 70 and a half years of age and older to contribute up to $100,000 from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) and Roth IRAs to charities, increasing donations to the nation's nonprofit community. Link to the Performing Arts Alliance Website to send a personalized letter thanking your Representative and Congressmen and women for restoring the IRA Rollover.

The American Arts Alliance is Changing its Name!

The American Arts Alliance is changing its name to the Performing Arts Alliance: The Coalition of Performing Arts Advocates. The new name, which reflects the organization’s performing arts advocacy focus, will officially take effect on September 15, 2008. Visit the Performing Arts Alliance website www.theperformingartsalliance.org for more information.

White Space and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – Issue Update

There has been some activity this summer on the White Space issue. As a reminder, wireless microphones that are used in our theatres, operate in the so-called “white space” portion of the spectrum.

Recent auction of the “white space” is resulting in a reorganization of the broadcast spectrum, a re-examination of the allowable uses of the spectrum, and the development of new devices to be used in the same part of the spectrum currently used by wireless microphone technology. Since January, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been conducting lab testing and, this summer concluded a round of field tests of prototype devices intended for development and use in the white space spectrum. In early August, the FCC held its final field test at the Majestic Theatre in NYC where Phantom of the Opera is playing. There is no formal report yet, but we do expect to see findings from both the lab and field testing.

The Broadway League has held two informal white space demonstrations over the past year: last November for FCC Commissioner Adelstein and this July for FCC Commissioner Tate. On each occasion, while a performer was singing, the sound engineers purposefully interfered with the performance to demonstrate what could happen if wireless microphone use is not protected from interference as changes are made to the public use of “white space.” The FCC Commissioners asked questions of the sound engineers and it seemed there was a better understanding of the use of wireless technology in theatres as a result of these demonstrations.

In July, the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) filed a formal complaint with the FCC, against Shure Microphones, for selling wireless microphones that are not legally licensed to be operated in the “white space.” As a result, the FCC announced that it has launched a formal investigation.

What we know is that change is coming. TV goes digital in February, 2009, and the use of the spectrum has to be decided by the FCC before then. There are a number of organizations, including PISC and its members, which are advocating with the FCC for spectrum reform. They argue that the spectrum is not being used efficiently, nor is there equitable public access to the spectrum. TCG is working with the Performing Arts Alliance, and is in communication with the Broadway League and a number of other organizations from different sectors, to advocate for our position. We want to be able to continue to present our performances without interference, deliver the high-quality performances that patrons deserve and expect and whatever change happens must not be prohibitively expensive. We are seeking counsel from several sound engineers in the field.

Issue Breakdown

What’s it all about? Soon, the television industry will transition to digital transmission, which potentially opens up certain “white spaces” in the broadcast spectrum. The computer industry is seeking a ruling from the FCC to allow new electronic hand-held devices, such as PDA’s, cordless phones and even newer technologies to operate in these frequencies. Performing arts venues have operated wireless microphones and audio systems in this “white space” spectrum for 35 years.

What’s the problem? The new electronic devices pose a threat to performing arts technology. There could be interference in our systems from these new devices. There are 3 uses of this wireless technology in the performing arts:

- Infrared technology used for hearing impaired patrons

- Amplification of performers’ voices, allowing unrestricted movement onstage along with sophisticated sound

- Communications backstage among stagehands

All of these uses could suffer interference from the new devices.

What’s happening now? The FCC is currently engaged in laboratory testing of new devices, to determine whether there is interference. On March 21, 2008, Google Inc. filed with the FCC an ex parte letter regarding its desire to use the TV “White Space” for mobile broadband services. The letter argues that there is “no risk” to enhancing the spectrum usage and “can provide huge economic and social gains if used more efficiently.” There is no assurance that their proposal avoids interference with wireless microphones used in the performing arts.

What’s our ‘Ask’? Please urge your Member of Congress to instruct the FCC Chairman to preserve the ability of wireless microphones used in the performing arts to operate without interference. The FCC should be urged to conduct adequate testing before permitting new devices to operate in the White Space spectrum.