TORONTO—As regulators continue to repurpose spectrum that has long been used in sports and other live productions, The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) has launched the North American Spectrum Alliance.
The Spectrum Alliance is an independent project managed by NABA, which unites broadcasters, content creators, rightsholders, venues and others in media and production to protect spectrum critical for broadcasting, wireless microphones, wireless cameras and other RF production elements.
In addition to broadcasters, the group is backed by the NFL, MLB, UFL and USTA.
Other members of the Alliance are the ATSC, CP Communications, Gotham Sound, NEP, RF Wireless, Sound Devices, and current NABA members.
Brad Cheney, vice president of field operations and engineering at Fox Sports, will chair the Alliance.
Spectrum usage has dramatically increased in North America over the past years, yet the region has suffered significant losses in spectrum over the same period, the group reported.
“Sports is not the only industry impacted by the wireless spectrum shortage,” he Cheney said. “News operations, theaters and concert venues, as well as theme parks and other entertainment hubs are struggling with spectrum scarcity. The Alliance will take a stand against further erosion of this resource on behalf of all of us.”
The Alliance will be hosting two webinars in January that lay out the threats to wireless mics and wireless cameras. These will be open to Alliance members and non-members. Interested parties can get more information and register for the events at these links for January 14th and January 16th.
“As more concerned users of spectrum join the Alliance, our voice will grow stronger in advocating for our collective interest before the FCC, and internationally at the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU),” said Rebecca Hanson, Director-General of NABA. “It is critical that we take our seat at the table to protect our industries and the public interests they serve.”
The North American Spectrum Alliance will build its calendar of events in January, 2025, which will be available later this month at www.nabanet.com/naspa/. Membership in NABA is not required to participate in the Spectrum Alliance. For more information on joining the Alliance, please contact Rayne Morgan at rayne@nabanet.com.
