(June 30, 2016) The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) has had concerns about increases in ambient noise, especially in the AM broadcast band, and have received a response from the FCC.
As reported earlier, on June 15, 2016, the Commission issued public notice DA 16-676 announcing that its Technological Advisory Council (TAC), an FCC advisory group, will investigate changes and trends to the radio spectrum noise floor to determine if there is an increasing noise problem. “If it finds that there is such an increasing problem, the TAC will investigate its scope and the quantitative evidence available,” reported SBE.org. “Initially, the FCC on behalf of the TAC is asking how a noise study should be performed. […] The SBE will file comments prepared with the assistance of its Government Relations Committee and its Executive Committee.”
“The FCC Public Notice indicates that the expectation of the TAC is a finding that the noise floor in the radio spectrum is rising,” said SBE, “This assumption is based on the fact that the number of unlicensed, intentional and unintentional RF radiators and industrial, scientific and medical devices in use that emit radio energy has increased. However, FCC cites a dearth of what it terms “concrete evidence” of increased noise floors and a lack of quantitative data to support the presumption. The TAC asks for help in strategizing how the available data can be added to, in order to advise FCC.”
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