Federal Communications Commission FCC 15-100
STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN
Re: Promoting Spectrum Access for Wireless Microphone Operations, GN Docket No. 14-166; 
Expanding the Economic and Innovation Opportunities of Spectrum Through Incentive Auctions, 
GN Docket No. 12-268.
When there is a crisis, we look for sources of breaking news.  Decades ago, that might have been 
limited to an evening television news program or the radio.  Today, we have far more options to keep us 
informed:   Ultra-high-definition TV, a tablet, or smart phone with signals being delivered over licensed 
spectrum, Wi-Fi or fiber.  
Regardless of what collection of services and technologies we use to get the news, there is a good
chance someone with a wireless microphone is on the other end. They are one of the unsung elements of 
the newsgathering business.  And wireless microphones are not just for news: sporting events, live 
concerns, theaters and film studios all rely on wireless mics to provide critical flexibility and high-quality 
audio.
Wireless microphones rely on the unused portions of the TV spectrum and our recent actions, 
including our actions today to repurpose portions of the television band for wireless services, have 
resulted in changes for the wireless microphone community.
So this item is important to the wireless microphone community – and, by extension, to all of us –
because it takes several steps to address the long-term needs of the users of wireless mics. It starts with 
making additional spectrum available for wireless microphones.  We are allowing wireless microphones
to operate on three new bands. We are revising our rules promote greater use of the television band by 
permitting more sharing and allowing more wireless mics to use the band.  And we are taking steps to 
help smooth the transition for wireless users out of the TV spectrum that has been repurposed for wireless 
services.
With so many possible uses for limited spectrum, we are often faced with difficult decisions on
how to balance competing uses.  With these changes, I am confident that we will be able to protect the 
long-term needs of the wireless microphone community, even as we repurpose the television bands.
I thank the Office of Engineering and Technology and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
for their hard work throughout this proceeding.