If your church uses wireless sound equipment, you might soon need to purchase some new equipment, and here’s why....

Last year, the US finally made the digital tv switchover, which brought over-the-air broadcasts into the 21st Century.  This is a good thing, as it allows a wider use of over-the-air broadcasting that we’ve only just caught a glimpse of to this point.  As a side-effect of this transition, the old wavelength spectrum that analog television used was vacated, and then auctioned off to various companies.  This is also a good thing, as it’s allowing the roll out of new data services using the old analog television spectrum.  If you see a television commercial referencing a “4G network,” chances are it’s using that old spectrum.  Again, these are good things.

Here’s the problem, guess what wavelength spectrum a lot of high-end audio equipment uses?  If you said, “the supposedly vacated analog TV spectrum,” then you guessed right!  Now, guess what one of the largest users of such equipment is?  Sadly, that answer would be, “churches.”

For years the FCC overlooked the unlicensed use of this spectrum because the low power of professional audio equipment didn’t interfere with television broadcasts.  Now that digital data is moving into the spectrum, however, that audio equipment is said to be a problem to the new roll outs - and the squatters are getting the boot.  The end date has been set.

June 12, 2010 is the day where unlicensed equipment that uses this range must be shut off and packed away.  In other words, if your church uses any equipment in this category, it’s time to start shopping.

For some more information on the switch - you can read this article.

If you would like to see if your equipment is affected by the switch, the FCC has compiled a list which you can find here.