On October 10th, 2024, the FCC published an “Erratum” to replace Appendix A of the Report and Order FCC 24-22, which defines the Rules for
Wireless Microphones in the TV Bands, 600 MHz Guard Band, 600 MHz Duplex Gap, and the 941.5-944 MHz, 944-952 MHz, 952.850-956.250 MHz,
956.45-959.85 MHz, 1435-1525 MHz, 6875-6900 MHz and 7100-7125 MHz Bands
The “Erratum” document published on October 8, 2024, serves to correct non-substantive errors in the original FCC Report and Order (FCC 24-22) () released on February 15, 2024. The errors primarily concern formatting and adherence to publishing guidelines of the National Archives and Records Administration’s Office of the Federal Register.
It’s important to highlight that the most significant change occurred with the publication of the Report and Order (in Feb 2024) with the adoption of the ETSI EN 300 422-1 V2.2.1 (2021-11) standard, replacing the 2011 version. This updated standard includes new emission masks and spurious emission limits for both traditional narrowband wireless microphones and WMAS devices. The FCC chose to adopt the 2021 ETSI standard despite it being released after the initial NPRM, citing support from manufacturers and noting that the differences between the 2017 and 2021 versions were not significant.
The Report and Order also authorizes WMAS for licensed operation across various frequency bands, including the TV bands, 600 MHz duplex gap, 900 MHz bands, 1.4 GHz band, and portions of the 7 GHz band. WMAS enables more microphones to operate within the same amount of spectrum.
The final rule does not change the existing licensing requirements for wireless microphone operations.
- Part 74 (Licensed Operation): Eligibility for Part 74 licenses remains unchanged, with entities such as broadcast stations, cable operators, and professional sound companies that routinely use 50 or more wireless microphones being eligible. The licensing process and associated requirements remain the same.
- Part 15 (Unlicensed Operation): The Report and Order maintains the unlicensed operation framework in specified frequency bands, primarily the TV bands and portions of the 600 MHz band
Impact on Type Approval and Market Access Requirements? – No
Impact on Imports, Customs, Trade, or Market Surveillance? – No
Impact on Spectrum Management? – Yes
Impact on Technical Standards? – Yes