Dear Editor,
As musicians in the Hudson Valley and beyond increasingly perform and collaborate through digital channels, it is crucial that lawmakers focus on closing the digital divide and use all tools at their disposal to ensure reliable connectivity.
New technologies are radically changing how musicians create and share their work. Even before the Covid pandemic, digital platforms gave us the opportunity to share tracks and record remotely, as well as connect with listeners without the need for third parties or physical products. Online channels and digital technologies enable musicians to drastically increase our reach, gaining previously unimaginable levels of exposure.
During the pandemic, the internet provided a lifeline to professional musicians, allowing us to perform for fans when the risks of gathering in groups were too great. Even though we couldn’t travel to the recording studio or practice and collaborate with other musicians, digital technologies ensured our work continued. One of the greatest joys of being a professional musician is seeing how our compositions unite people. Millions of fans worldwide tuned into virtual performances that not only provided us with much-needed revenue but kept us all connected in dark and uncertain times.
The digital revolution that powers our connections and enables file sharing and online performances is thanks to invisible spectrum radio waves. Without these licensed spectrum waves, our reach online could be threatened. These waves are the core building blocks that make internet connectivity happen. For decades innovators and technicians have pioneered new uses of these spectrum waves, whether powering smartphones or wireless microphones and in-ear monitors. Unfortunately, thanks to recent policy developments in Washington, this technology is suddenly vulnerable.
For the first time ever, Congress has allowed the Federal Communications Commission’s spectrum authority to expire. This leaves the agency charged with allocating spectrum, the radio waves essential for connecting all sorts of devices and deploying new technologies, unable to do its job. This lapse will lead to congestion on current networks and cripple new innovations.
It is important for leaders from both sides of the aisle to come together and restore the FCC’s authority and create a forward-looking plan, making new spectrum bands available for use by consumers, innovators, and musicians. In the past, musicians were forced to live in populated areas with venues for live performances and studios for new recordings. Added spectrum will increase bandwidth, connectivity, and community among working musicians and will benefit families struggling to access online tools in rural and remote places throughout the country.
Collaboration and communication drive those transcendent moments in live performances. I urge officials in Washington to work together to ensure reliable connectivity for all in our increasingly digital world. As workers, students, artists, and musicians — the future depends on it.
Michael Bisio
New York
