Are you involved in and / or do you enjoy watching any of the following:-

• LIVE MUSIC
• NEWS GATHERING
• FILM MAKING
• TELEVISION PROGRAMMES
• MUSICAL THEATRE
• SPORTS EVENTS
• CONCERTS
• CONFERENCES (INCLUDING PARTY POLITICAL CONFERENCES)
• CHURCH, SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY EVENTS

These are just some of the events that are under threat because OFCOM, supported by the government, is planning to sell the airwaves or ‘Radio Frequencies’ they rely on.

Directly or indirectly, everybody benefits from these activities, but you may not be able to do so in the future.

OFCOM will shortly sell-off the radio frequencies that we all rely on, with auction proceeds going to the Government. As a consequence of this ‘migration’, the vast majority of the UK’s stocks of wireless microphones, which are essential tools for content production in the creative industries and beyond, will soon be rendered unusable.

If productions that depend on these technologies are to continue, then all affected equipment (worth tens of millions of pounds) will need to be replaced with gear that can operate on different frequencies, which remain for the most part unspecified. But those who own the equipment either cannot afford or will seriously struggle to cover the enforced costs of replacing entire inventories of valuable equipment. It is like a compulsory purchase order with little or no compensation.

If you use your radio equipment between 863 MHz and 865 MHz which is TV channel 70 then you are licence exempt, if you use your radio equipment on one of 14 fixed frequencies between 854 MHz and 862 MHz  in channel 69 country wide or in certain areas now between 606 MHz and 614 MHz in TV channel 38 (which is replacing channel 69) then to be legal you need a PMSE licence from www.jfmg.co.uk, if you are using any other frequencies below 862 that is not licence exempt or covered on a PMSE licence you need to fix site licence your equipment again via www.jfmg.co.uk.  OFCOM and the government are proposing very little compensation for equipment rendered un-usable by the sell off, for more information please go to www.beirg.org.uk and http://saveoursound.wordpress.com.