US May Sell Airwaves That Help Broadway Sing

Broadway producers are alarmed that a carefully balanced system is about to crumble. The Federal Communications Commission is considering plans to force the users of cordless microphones — not only Broadway producers but also megachurches and the National Football League — to move to a less desirable spot on the nation’s airwaves. The FCC, backed by Congress, hopes to auction most of those prime airwaves now used by singers, preachers and coaches to data-gobbling smartphone companies, potentially for billions of dollars. The FCC says that the airwaves are public property and that theater owners have long gotten preferential access to the frequencies. The commission also points out that the first $7 billion raised by the auction is to build a nationwide public safety communications network, and that many members of Congress have urged the commission to sell everything it can to raise money to reduce the nation’s deficit. Still, Broadway producers say that moving to a new spot on the airwaves, or spectrum, will compromise the sound quality of shows making the melodies less full and rich. They say a failure of a wireless intercom could endanger a performer or crew member and that they will be forced to buy expensive new equipment or risk having their transmissions overwhelmed by smartphones that use the same airwaves.