The Stage

Ofcom delays spectrum band manager appointment

Published Thursday 15 April 2010 at 13:44 by Matthew Hemley

Ofcom has delayed appointing a managing body to oversee spectrum which will be used to operate wireless microphones in musical theatre productions post-digital switchover, blaming the “outstanding complexities” of the process.

The regulator had been due to appoint a band manager, which will be responsible for managing spectrum designated for use by the programme-making and special events sector such as musical theatre shows, in the spring of this year.

It had been inviting people to express interest in bidding to become band manager, with trade association PLASA among those who had.

However, in a statement issued today, Ofcom said a band manager would not be appointed until after the Olympics in 2012.

It said the delay was in part due to the “outstanding complexities” of the award itself, but also because “there would be insufficient time to develop, test and implement the necessary arrangements” between itself and the band manager to co-ordinate use of the spectrum without “unacceptable risk of disruption to the Olympic Games”.

Meanwhile, Ofcom today said PMSE users will have access to channel 69 - the spectrum PMSE users currently rely on - until July 1, 2012.

Users will then be relocated to channel 38, which Ofcom has said “will offer the same utility” as the spectrum users currently rely on.