Show Must Go On -- But Stars Urge Caution At FCC
From the Nov. 1 issue of National Journal magazine:
A-list music stars usually don't care much about the workings of Washington -- except when you mess with their mikes. The rock band Maroon 5, pop princess Miley Cyrus, country crooners the Dixie Chicks, and "American Idol" contestants Clay Aiken and David Archuleta are among the more than 100 musicians urging the Federal Communications Commission to tread cautiously ahead of a Tuesday vote that the entertainers fear could impair their ability to deliver state-of-the-art live performances.
The FCC has been pressured by companies such as Google and Microsoft to open vacant portions of the television spectrum to unlicensed wireless devices after February's nationwide transition to digital TV, but performers worry that such a move could interfere with wireless microphones at concerts. High-tech firms want to use the airwaves, called "white space," for new wireless Internet services.
Google spokesman Adam Kovacevich said that the 20,000 Americans who have petitioned the FCC to open the airwaves "may not be regulars in the pages of Us Weekly, but when it comes to expanding broadband access ... it's consumers who are the experts, not celebrities."
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