At the February 3 Plenary Session of the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12), delegates heard the first reading and approved a worldwide exclusive allocation to Maritime Mobile of 495-505 kHz. There will need to be a second reading to finalize the allocation. According to ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, discussion of this allocation to Maritime Mobile “has been in the works throughout the conference preparation (i.e. since 2008) and was the reason why the MF amateur allocation could not be made in this band as some amateurs had hoped. That’s why we [the Amateur Radio Service] had to look elsewhere and is what put us in conflict with aeronautical radionavigation.”

Please continue to check the ARRL website for all the latest news form WRC-12.