Ahead of the 2020 national political conventions, TV engineers are divvying up access to the TV spectrum, creating a formal database of the users and their channels in a bid to keep signals from crashing into each other.
Election Wireless 2021 is coordinating all wireless requirements for broadcasters, committees and public safety needs for the primary and presidential debates, the political conventions, election night coverage and the presidential inauguration.
In an interview with TVNewsCheck’s Jennifer Pallanich, Election Wireless 2021 Chairman Louis Libin explains how the committee coordinates assignment of sections of the wireless spectrum to ensure news groups, first responders and others can use wireless communications without “stepping on each other” during the national political conventions.
The challenge of fairly assigning spectrum has never been greater. The FCC is repacking the spectrum, removing broadcasters’ access to the 600 MHz range and leaving them to operate in the 500 MHz range at a time when the number of wireless devices needing service is increasing. As a result, groups may not be able to use as many wireless devices during the conventions as they have in the past and should consider bringing wired equipment to the events.
