Ofcom has published a statement setting out how Government funding will be made available to the Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) sector to support its migration from channel 69 to channel 38.
This follows the Government’s decision last week on the level and nature of this funding, which will contribute to the cost of modifying or purchasing equipment.
As widely anticipated, Ed Vaizey, the minister for the digital economy, said that any compensation package will cover kit that currently uses channel 69 but not channels 31-37 and 61-68.
Ofcom have contracted Equiniti Limited to manage the administration of funding for eligible PMSE users on its behalf.
Equiniti will be the first point of contact throughout the scheme. Further detail is available at www.pmsefunding.co.uk.
The full statement can be found at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/pmse_funding/statement/
A spokesperson for campaign group Save Our Sound UK argued that the compensation would not be sufficient and that it will “devastate” the small and medium-sized businesses that support UK programme making and live events.”
Wireless microphone equipment is used on shows like The X Factor and Big Brother and large events like Live Aid and Glastonbury.
The auction of frequencies is part of Ofcom’s Digital Dividend Review.
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