Battle For Compensation Is Still The Main Show In Town Says SOS UK After Channel 38 Announcement

With some commentators welcoming this move, Save Our Sound UK is keen to stress that channel 38 has previously been announced as a future channel for the use of wireless mics and other PMSE equipment. We would presume to say that the PMSE sector looks forward to seeing the detail.
 
As chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee for Business, Innovation and Skills, Peter Luff MP was at pains to state this week, the key issue of compensation has still not been resolved. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Luff directly challenged the Government to honour their promise made in the Digital Britain Final Report published on June 16 2009 to meet the cost of clearing channels 61, 62 and 69. These are radio channels that are crucial to the continued ability of the PMSE sector to provide the services and equipment that shows such as the X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, and the majority of West End theatres depend on.
 
Peter Luff MP said: “At some stage in the relatively near future, the Chancellor will receive a welcome windfall from the auction of the spectrum release by the digital dividend process, so will he honour the pledge given to users of radio microphones in the 'Digital Britain' White Paper and earmark at least a small proportion of those significant revenues fully to compensate those users for their unwelcome eviction from the spectrum?”
 
Following the Government’s response, Peter has followed this up with further parliamentary questions which will hopefully reveal the Government’s own estimates of the PMSE industry’s costs of adapting to the enforced removal from spectrum that they have used for a very long time.

For further details, please call John Steven PR on 07515 559688 or via email on johnstevenpr@mac.com