ABSTRACT
The electromagnetic spectrum not only provides broadcasters the means for reaching listeners and viewers via the AM, FM, and TV bands, but under the FCC’s Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) Rules, the electromagnetic spectrum may be used by broadcasters for point-to-point links, remote-pickup links, voice channels for cueing and coordination, remote control of cameras and transmitters, wireless microphones, and other applications. Yet, as varied as these applications appear to be, their treatment in the FCC Rules is contained in only one of four Subparts in Part 74.1 Further, these applications all have two things in common: All require some form of frequency coordination to minimize the likelihood of interference (since they operate in shared frequency bands; i.e., they use frequencies which are also used by other services), and all are impacted by the everincreasing demand for radio spectrum. This chapter provides an overview of the different ways frequency coordination is employed in an attempt to mitigate the effects of spectrum crowding on these essential auxiliary services.
