[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2911 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2911

To require the Federal Communications Commission to expand eligibility 
for part 74 licenses to certain wireless microphone users, to establish 
 safe haven channels for wireless microphones, and to authorize access 
    by owners and operators of wireless microphones to the TV bands 
databases for the purpose of protecting wireless microphone operations 
                           from interference.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 1, 2013

  Mr. Rush (for himself and Mr. Cohen) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Federal Communications Commission to expand eligibility 
for part 74 licenses to certain wireless microphone users, to establish 
 safe haven channels for wireless microphones, and to authorize access 
    by owners and operators of wireless microphones to the TV bands 
databases for the purpose of protecting wireless microphone operations 
                           from interference.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

     This Act may be cited as the ``Wireless Microphone Users 
Interference Protection Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR PART 74 LICENSES.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Federal Communications Commission shall take such actions as are 
necessary to expand eligibility for licenses under section 74.832 of 
title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, to the owners of, and operators 
of events and performances at, the following sites:
            (1) Amusement parks.
            (2) Arenas.
            (3) Convention centers.
            (4) Educational facilities.
            (5) Houses of worship.
            (6) Lodging facilities.
            (7) Museums.
            (8) Outdoor venues.
            (9) Recording studios.
            (10) Theaters.

SEC. 3. EXPANDING SCOPE OF SERVICE RULE.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Federal Communications Commission shall expand the scope of service 
and permissible transmissions currently set forth in section 74.831 of 
title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, to include the use of wireless 
microphones in rehearsals and live or recorded events and performances 
by the persons and entities made eligible for licenses pursuant to 
section 2 of this Act.

SEC. 4. SAFE HAVEN CHANNELS.

    The Federal Communications Commission shall establish 2 safe haven 
channels for exclusive use by wireless microphone users that are each 6 
MHz in the spectrum ranging from 470 MHz to 698 MHz, inclusive, other 
than frequencies identified as guard bands and the mid-band gap between 
the frequencies designated for uplink and downlink service in auctioned 
600 MHz spectrum.

SEC. 5. ACCESS TO TV BANDS DATABASES.

    (a) Authorization.--The Federal Communications Commission shall 
authorize the owners and operators of wireless microphones (and their 
appointed technical representatives) to have access to the TV bands 
databases described in subpart H of part 15 of title 47, Code of 
Federal Regulations, for the purpose of protecting wireless microphone 
operations from interference.
    (b) Registration Sites.--Sites that may be registered in the TV 
bands databases as sites where wireless microphone operations shall be 
protected pursuant to subsection (a) include the following:
            (1) Amusement parks.
            (2) Arenas.
            (3) Convention centers.
            (4) Educational facilities.
            (5) Houses of worship.
            (6) Lodging facilities.
            (7) Museums.
            (8) Outdoor venues.
            (9) Recording studios.
            (10) Restaurants.
            (11) Theaters.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) Amusement park.--The term ``amusement park'' means a 
        commercially operated park equipped with various recreational 
        devices, entertainment, and typically booths for games and the 
        sale of food and drink.
            (2) Arena.--The term ``arena'' means any building or 
        structure primarily used for an athletic contest, sporting 
        event, or musical performance, such as a stadium or racetrack.
            (3) Convention center.--The term ``convention center'' 
        means any civic building or group of buildings designed for 
        events, such as conventions, industrial shows, and exhibitions, 
        and which often includes an auditorium, a conference or meeting 
        room, hotel accommodations, a restaurant, or other facilities.
            (4) Educational facility.--The term ``educational 
        facility'' means any building, place, or institution where 
        instruction to students is provided, including any daycare 
        center, nursery school, public or private school, college or 
        university, career or technical education school, or corporate 
        training center.
            (5) House of worship.--The term ``house of worship'' means 
        any building, place, or institution devoted to religious 
        worship, including a church, synagogue, temple, mosque, or 
        chapel.
            (6) Lodging facility.--The term ``lodging facility'' means 
        any individual hotel, motel, or inn that makes accommodation 
        available on a temporary basis for a charge.
            (7) Museum.--The term ``museum'' means a building, place, 
        or institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and 
        display of works of art, scientific specimens, and other 
        objects of lasting interest or value.
            (8) Outdoor venue.--The term ``outdoor venue'' means any 
        outdoor place or area where a fair, concert, sporting event, 
        circus, festival, exhibition, or civic ceremony or presentation 
        is held, such as a fairground, golf course, or pavilion. Such 
        term includes a place or area that is partially enclosed.
            (9) Recording studio.--The term ``recording studio'' means 
        any facility used primarily for the commercial production or 
        recording of live or prerecorded music, television, motion 
        picture, or other kind of news, sports, entertainment, 
        educational, or religious programming.
            (10) Restaurant.--The term ``restaurant'' means an 
        establishment where meals may be purchased and consumed.
            (11) Theater.--The term ``theater'' means any place, 
        building, enclosure, or structure with a seating capacity that 
        is used for a dramatic performance, stage entertainment, 
        musical performance, or motion picture show.
            (12) Wireless microphone.--The term ``wireless microphone'' 
        means a low power auxiliary station, as defined in subpart H of 
        part 74 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, as of the 
        date of enactment of this Act.
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